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A
Pinot Noir Pilgrim
From Burgundy to New Zealand
©
Michael Vaughan 2006
National Post
Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
Saturday,
November 11, 2006
LIVE
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More than four decades ago, I got a two-month student rail pass and
visited the world of wine, which at the time meant Europe. While being
seduced by dozens of amazing wines that had never seen the light of day
here in Ontario, it was my first my first sip of a truly great Burgundy
that transformed me into a Pinot pilgrim. What a time to be alive, when
the very best of Burgundies were all priced under ten dollars!
After several trips, my passion for Pinot Noir was ultimately rewarded in 1972 when I was baptized at Clos Vougeot by the Chevaliers de Tastevin, a devout association of Burgundian producers and winegrowers. I fondly remember the delicious wines and joyous camaraderie of that warm, smoky October 21 evening. A great night, but sadly a lousy vintage.
How times have changed. While Burgundy is still the home of Pinot Noir, the grape has spread almost everywhere. And I have followed: looking at the vineyards, inspecting the vines, tasting the new releases and quizzing the winemakers. Back in the 1980's, I traveled to Oregon and slept on a foam pad on the floor of David Adelsheim's new home-cum-winery while assessing his new reds resting in barrel.
California, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Austria, Germany, even Switzerland, have all been on my hit list. Closer to home, while judging the 2006 Fall Okanagan wine competition I was smitten by truly incredible Pinot Noir now being produced by some BC wineries. More important for Torontonians, at a recent tasting of four, different, still-unreleased 2004 Le Clos Jordanne reds, I discovered that truly great Pinot Noir can even be made here in Ontario.
Of all destinations, however, the hottest has to be New Zealand. While attending the first International Pinot Noir Conference in 2001, I was swept away by some 150+ Pinot Noir most of which I had never heard of before. I was staggered by the likes of Stoneleigh 1999 Pinot Noir (10 cases at $19 went to the February 27, 2001 Classics Catalogue and it has never been seen since).
In 2004 I returned to explore the nooks and crannies from New Zealand's most northerly winery Karikari Estate, which sits on a peninsula jutting into the sea, to the tiny Margaret John, the world's most southerly winery. I slept in winemaker's homes, like Rudi Bauer of Otago's Quartz Reef and organic biodynamically-driven Nick Mills of Rippon, which overlooks stunning Lake Wanaka. At the time, the enormous Central Otago region was just being planted and I thirsted to taste its first crop.
Today, Pinot Noir has emerged as New Zealand's number one red and the second most important grape in New Zealand after Sauvignon Blanc. It is the only country in the world where Pinot Noir is the most important red grape Meanwhile, exports over the past year have jumped by 55% and the number of wineries has exploded from 467 in 2004 to 550 by this December.
All of this brings me to today's Vintages release, well sort of. You see Vintages keeps some wines caged up in its unpreviewed in-store discovery program. I was depressed to see two wines from winemaker Dean Shaw, who is responsible for making this wine at the Central Otago Wine Company (COWCO). Shaw and I spent time together at his facility tasting out of barrel and assessing dozens of his wines, Two Paddocks being one of the highlights.
Two Paddocks is a small family winery created and owned by actor Sam Neill in 1993. He started with a tiny 2 ha vineyard in the small but beautiful Gibbston Valley region near Queenstown. It has grown considerably with the recent acquisition of nearby vineyards.
Imagine my joy, when the doorbell recently rang and in walked Malcom Cocks owner of the diminutive agency called Glen Ward Wines. In his hands, a bottle of each of the upcoming Two Paddock releases, enabling me to taste the wines and share my assessment with National Post readers.
Here
is the scoop. Rush out today to get Two
Paddocks 2004 Picnic Pinot Noir (14548) at
$23.95 as is it is a definite best buy (only 49 cases are available). Deep
purple colour, it has a fresh, very bright, black cherry puree nose. On
the palate it is dry and medium bodied with slightly spicy, lingering,
ripe red cherry-cranberry flavours.
The
second wine Two
Paddocks 2003 Last Chance Pinot Noir (14530) at
$32.95. It is very elegant with harmonious, gently juicy, plummy, ripe
cherry flavours with a lingering finish. According to New Zealand wine
authority Michael Cooper, the 2004 is
even better than the 2003. To see availability of these wines two in-store
discovery wines, click on their name to open the LCBO website that will
show which stores has stock, and call the store beforehand to confirm
stock.
Those wanting to check out the Air New Zealand 2006 award winners, all 144 Pinot Noir award winners are now posted on my website (to see click here). There is also information on the upcoming International Pinot Noir 2007 Conference, being held in Wellington between 31 January and 3 February 2007 (to see click here). Meanwhile, I am still working on my book "The Pinot Pilgrim - Confessions of a Wine Slut".
Pick of the Week
As November 16th (the third Thursday of November) approaches, so does
the launch of the 2006 vintage of Beaujolais. Those hankering to get a
jumpstart on things can the delicious, grapefruit-tinged, Stoneleigh
2006 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (293043), which
literally dances on the tongue. It is widely available on the LCBO General
List for $14.95.
2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006
Tasting Note Database
Our
tasting note database from December 31, 2000 to October 2006, covers every
Vintages release product for the past 69 months. There are more than 13,000 notes in the database data. Just enter the name of the product,
supplier name or CSPC number. Or you can search by type of wine, country
of origin, even wine agent! Nothing could be easier. Also you can get information on the agent by clicking on the
agent’s name, as well as current LCBO store inventory by clicking on
"Check
LCBO Availability", which will automatically tell you the
number of bottles at LCBO as of last night.
To
use our Tasting
Notes Database: click
here
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2006
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Contact Michael Vaughan at
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