Falstaff Magazin International 01/2021

wine / PINOT NOIR

wine / PINOT NOIR Graubünden in Switzerland is an Alpine hotspot for fine Pinot Noirs. < SWITZERLAND, AUSTRIA AND ITALY: ALPINE ACCENTS Why lump these three countries together? Because in the furthest sense, they can be grouped as “Alpine-influenced” Pinot Noirs. It is the canton of Graubünden that is Switzerland’s Pinot Noir stronghold, while Trentino and Alto Adige in Italy’s Alpine and mountainous north are home to compelling Pinot Noirs. In Austria the little Pinot Noir there is reaches its greatest heights in the zone of Thermenregion – even though the Alpine influence is less felt there. All three countries produce beautiful and noteworthy Pinot Noirs. CALIFORNIA: COASTAL SWEEP California alone holds a whole cosmos of Pinot Noir: a full scale of expressions, all informed to a larger or lesser degree by the influence of the cold Pacific. Pinot is grown along almost all of California’s sprawling coastline: from Santa Barbara in the south BEST OF Alpine Regions FRANZ HAAS PÒNKLER PINOT NERO 97 2015, ALTO ADIGE, ITALY DONATSCH PINOT NOIR UNIQUE 97 2017, GRAUBÜNDEN, SWITZERLAND HOFSTÄTTER PINOT NERO BARTHE- 96 NAU VIGNA S. URBANO DOC 2015, ALTO ADIGE, ITALY GANTENBEIN PINOT NOIR 2018, 96 GRAUBÜNDEN, SWITZERLAND JOHANNESHOF REINISCH PINOT 96 NOIR HOLZSPUR 2017 THERMENREGION, AUSTRIA WIENINGER PINOT NOIR GRAND 95 SELECT 2015, WIEN, AUSTRIA to Mendocino in the north. As John Winthrop Hager chronicles in his magisterial North American Pinot Noir, the variety has had a presence in the state since the mid-19th century. But again, it was not until the 1970s and 80s that Pinot Noir started to gain traction via maverick winemakers like Richard Sanford who discovered that some of California’s coolest vineyards were at the counter-intuitive latitude of 34°N, the same as Tunisia, and proceeded to plant the first vines in what is now the Santa Rita Hills AVA in 1971. The east-west corridors of two mountain ranges channel the cold Pacific air into the region unimpeded. Further north, there were Burt Williams and Ed Selyem, 1980s founders of Williams Selyem – one of the cult labels of the late 20th century in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. But since then, Pinot has spread further into Sonoma County, up to the Anderson Valley at 39°N, and more recently further and further out towards Photos: Shutterstock, mauritius images / Alamy / makasana photo, Getty Images/George Rose, San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images / Kontributor, Peay, Franz Haas 18 falstaff winter 2021

THE SONOMA COAST IS A KALEIDOSCOPE OF GEOLOGY WITH A STAGGERING AMOUNT OF DIFFERENT MICRO- CLIMATES. THE WINES ARE UTTERLY UNIQUE. JAMIE KUTCH WINEMAKER the extreme Sonoma Coast where altitude and fog line moderate the Pacific influence and determine where Pinot Noir will excel. Jamie Kutch, of Kutch Wines, who makes wines from several coastal sites, says: “The Sonoma Coast is a kaleidoscope of geology and possesses a staggering amount of different microclimates. The wines are each so utterly unique and so close to one another.” Pinot Noir really reflects the diversity of California – from sumptuous wines redolent of black cherry and cola grown inland to tender, bright, Pacific-cooled wines with the scent of Darjeeling leaves and cranberry – and everything in between. OREGON: INLAND PROMISE Oregon’s suitability for Pinot Noir is different from California’s – Oregon’s wine regions are inland and being further north than California, it is the longer day length at a latitude of 45°N towards the end of the growing season that makes the difference. The climate is temperate and mild and the inland regions – like Willamette Valley – are protected from the cool Pacific by the Coast Range, even though there are some gaps that allow cooler air in. It is this mildness that is reflected in Oregon Pinot Noir, in its red-fruited nuance and almost floral subtlety. Well-drained soils of volcanic origin also add to the allure. Oregon’s Pinot Noir story started with two pioneers, Charles Coury and David Lett in 1965 – when there was virtually no wine industry in the state. Many doubted them but their research was correct, their hunch right and the presence of several Burgundian-owned or co-owned wineries today has fully vindicated them. Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Résonance and Nicolas-Jay are just three examples. That the Burgundians feel so at home here says a lot: they recognise that this would be a place where Pinot thrives. < BEST OF Oregon ANTICA TERRA PINOT NOIR ANTI- 97 KYTHERA 2018, EOLA-AMITY HILLS CRISTOM PINOT NOIR EILEEN 95 VINEYARD 2018, EOLA-AMITY HILLS NICOLAS & JAY PINOT NOIR L‘EN- 95 SEMBLE 2018, WILLAMETTE VALLEY GRAMERCY CELLARS PINOT NOIR 94 LE PRÉ DU COL VINEYARD 2016, RIBBON RIDGE DROUHIN PINOT NOIR ROSEROCK 94 ZÉPHIRINE, EOLA-AMITY HILLS BEST OF California PEAY VINEYARDS PINOT NOIR SCAL- 97 LOP SHELF 2019, SONOMA COAST KUTCH PINOT NOIR BOHAN 97 GRAVEYARD BLOCK VINEYARD 2019, SONOMA COAST WILLIAMS SELYEM PINOT NOIR 95 WESTSIDE ROAD NEIGHBORS 2018, RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY LIQUID FARM PINOT NOIR SBC 95 2016, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY RACINES PINOT NOIR STA. RITA 95 HILLS CUVÉE, STA. RITA HILLS LA CREMA PINOT NOIR 2018, 93 SONOMA COAST Sonoma’s Pinot Noirs are as beautiful as the landscape itself. Right: Jamie Kutch winter 2021 falstaff 19