Pinot Noir tasting

Pinot Noir tasting

I recently went to a Pinot Noir tasting where we had different Pinots from all over the world; Chile, New Zealand, Australia, California and of course, Burgundy which I consider the home of Pinot Noir! Pinot Noir is a fickle grape to grow and needs cool climates to ripen and produce fantastic wines that I love! Some places you wouldn’t think could grow Pinot Noir such as the Sonoma Valley and Russian River Valley in California as you’d assume it would be too hot but due to the cooling influences of the Pacific, it makes it ideal conditions for this grape variety. As the land is warmed up by the sun, hot air rises and it pulls the cooler air and fog through the gaps in the coastal ranges.  Check out my lastest post about Pinot Noir on globaltravelhunter.com where I talk about this variety in more detail. To truley understand and appreciate Pinot Noir, I recommend tasting wines from all over the world, as we did in this tasting. It opened my eyes to the flexibility and diversity of this amazing grape!

These are the wines we tasted:

1. Clava Pinot Noir 2011 from Casablanca Valley, Chile
2. Bay Estates Pinot Noir 2011 from Mornington Peninsula, Victoria Australia
3. Stefano Lubiano ‘Primavera’ Pinot Noir 2011 from Tasmania
4. Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2011 from Central Otago, New Zealand
5. Amisfiled Pinot Noir 2009 from Central Otago, New Zealand
6. Lost Lake Barrel Selection Pinot Noir 2009 from Pemberton, Western Australia
7. Côte de Nuits-Villages La Belle Voisine from Côte de Nuits,Burgundy, France
8. Yarra Valley Pinot Noir Mac Forbes 2008 from Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
9. Main Divide Pinot Noir 2008 from Canterbury, New Zealand
10. Tamar Ridge Pinot Noir 2007 from Tasmania, Australia
11. Domaine Faiveley Mercurey 1er Cru “Le Clos du Roy” 2006 from Mercurey in Burgundy, France
12. Macrostie Pinot Noir 2007 from Sonoma Coast, california, USA
13. Yering Station Pinot Noir 2003  from Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia