Pinot Noir. It's hot!

California Pinot Noir is hot, and not in a good way.   High alcohol levels in wines are controversial. I guess it's made this way because consumers want the very ripe fruit, right?  Pinot being a more delicate wine means the heat of too much alcohol can really show.

Example #1

The other night I picked out a bottle of Melville 2007 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir for dinner.   I bought this wine a few months ago because it got a lot of Internet buzz and sells for under $25.   Turns out Robert Parker gave it 94 points so it must be freakin' awesome!  Well, maybe it was better when first released a couple years ago.  If that's true then it sure has fell apart quickly.

I was checking out the back label during dinner and there it was - 15.3% alcohol.  I guess that explains the overriding burning sensation.   It was kinda like drinking Listerine mouthwash.    I'm not just picking on Melville here as I've had some really good Pinots from them before.

Example #2

I visited a small Pinot house in the town of Sonoma, Roessler Cellars. They were pouring about six different Pinots from all different areas of California.  The last one was from a newer Sonoma Coast vineyard that has a different label (it was labeled "Ridges") and was, of course, the most expensive.  I liked that one the best, brought one home, then checked out the alcohol level.  Wow, that's high!  Instead of putting it in the cellar I left it out to drink soon.   We had it a few days later with dinner and I didn't think much of it.   

The question I am asking myself is why the heck did I buy that one?   Why was it the best when tasting through a flight?  Okay, it was certainly big and bold rather than a wimpy, restrained Pinot.  Hmmm.

Pinot Noir Styles

Pinot Noir is supposed to have characteristics such as tobacco, leather, black cherries, earth, rose or violet flowers with noticeable acid when young.  But too many blast you with a mouthful of cherries and heat.

14.5% alcohol seems fairly typical for California Pinot whereas French Burgundy seems to be more like 13% or less.  No, Burgundy isn't California, but ...

Sometimes the lower alcohol wines might be called thin or understated whereas the higher alcohol wines are call lush and full-bodied.   You gotta admit "lush and full-bodied" sounds better (are we talking about wine or women here)?

Lots of California wines have gone to a riper style, but it really stands out with Pinot because the heat from the higher alcohol really shows through.   If ever there was a wine that was meant to be restrained, elegant and refined it was Pinot.




Someone that gets it (13.5% alc)
Image from www.farmsteadcheesesandwines.com

 
This post is a follow-up to my original observations  on overly alcoholic wines on January 28th.