Don's Gillette's Weekly Wine Blog
Weekly musings from our store's resident wine guru
Don has over thirty years experience in the wine industry. For the last eighteen years his attention has been focused on the growing local industry. Don has a large following of customers who search out his opinions (never in short supply!) on new releases and on what's currently most distinctive on our shelves. Others seek his insights on wineries and trends that are still under the radar. Check back here each week for Don's latest thoughts on various wine-related topics. Read Don's full bio...
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2006 California Pinot Noir: the early returns
It has been quite a hot streak for the grape. 2002 was an eye opener, with brilliant examples north to south and enough quantity to share the wealth. 2003 was perfection in the RRV and fine elsewhere. 2004 was ripe and juicy in most of the state and was classic in parts of the Sonoma Coast and in Santa Lucia. 2005 produced an ocean of brilliant Pinots from up and down California, including Santa Barbara's best crop in memory and brilliant wines in the Anderson Valley, RRV and in Santa Lucia. What of 2006?
Here we go again?
The quality of the 2006s I have seen so far, suggests that a high number of very fine Pinots can be expected and that some of them will certainly qualify as great. I am speaking here of wines from the serious producers, leaving corporate hacks and inveterate Bozos out of the equation. The personality of the vintage appears to be rather schizophrenic, however. This will create challenges for my coworkers and I and pretty much guarantees that confusing messages will be forthcoming from the wine press.
I say schizophrenic, because there are lots of peaks and valleys and unexpected surprises in 2006. Who would expect Melville's "Vernas" Pinot to out perform their "SRH Estate"? It is especially weird, as their 2006 "SRH" Chardonnay is fantastic! And was anyone expecting a superbly balanced and super-racy and focused 2006 "Rosella's" from Loring Wine Company?
More locally, I have tasted brilliant wines from people like Halleck, Russian Hill, Chasseur and Dutton-Goldfield. Despite this, Chasseur and Dutton-Goldfield will be declassifying multiple "vineyard designates" into RRV and Sonoma Coast blends. The weather was, at times, perfect in vineyard A, but more fickle at site B, a few blocks westward. These en-richened RRV and Sonoma Coast blends could prove to be hot bargains, bye the way.
Some 2006s are quite forward and easy to understand, like the Loring, or the new Bohan-Dillon from the northern Sonoma Coast or the fabulous Breggo "Ferrington" and "Donnally" bottlings from Anderson Valley. Black Kite will soon be releasing a very fine AV blend as well, but I have had some AV Pinots that were downright watery.
Other '06s, like the diverse new group from Dain, have me wishing the producer would have waited a few months for the wines to better reveal themselves. I spent two days re-tasting the tightly wrapped Dains before I gained enthusiasm for them.
Oh well, this is an early report and it certainly won't be the last one. We'll just have to ride the wave and surf only on the crests.