The Pinot Party
It’s Pinot Noir from all over! From Oregon to France, from Germany to California, taste 4 different flavors of Pinot Noir.
Thevenet & Fils Les Clos
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Place: Burgundy, France
Process: The Pinot noir for this wine is found in the village of Bussières and is sourced from the lieu-dit Les Clos. The vines are south-facing at 350 feet above sea level on gently sloping hills that are principally composed of clay. The fruit tends to ripen early due to its excellent exposure. Pigeage and remontage are practiced during fermentation. This wine is marked by notes of black, ripe berries, often a touch “sauvage”.
Family: Jean-Claude Thevenet took control of the family domaine in 1971 from his father Raymond; at this time their holdings were a mere three hectares. Over the decades, Jean-Claude built the domaine to its current size of thirty hectares with vineyards centered on their village of Pierreclos at the heart of the Maconnais. Wines of purity, honesty, fine value were the objective, and indeed, the wines consistently performed at a high level.
Jean-Claude’s three sons (Benjamin, Jonathan and Aurélien) grew up dedicated to the family domaine. Jean-Claude passed away in 2008 at the too-young age of 54; but, his three talented and dedicated progeny, all functioning under the rigorous supervision of their mother Helene, have continued the domaine.
Bottle: $33 | Glass: $14
Violet Hill Pinot Noir
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Place: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Process: Fermented with native yeasts in small batch fermentations, the wine is a representation of the of the people and places that farm and vinify it.
Family: Farmed in an expansive and well sheltered valley along the Rogue River and its tributaries; the Rogue AVA is bordered by the Cascade Mountains to the east, the Siskiyou Mountains to the north, and the Southern Oregon Coast Range to the West. The AVA is mostly made up of high elevation sites in mountain country. Despite the ruggedness of the region, the weather is quite mild and warm in the summers making for concentrated and ripe fruit profiles.
Bottle: $27 | Glass: $12
Koehler Ruprecht Pinot Noir
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Place: Pfalz, Germany
Process: The grapes were handpicked, destemmed and fermented in stainless steel.
Family: This historic estate, long managed by the legendary and larger-than-life Bernd Philippi, was purchased in 2009 and since 2011 has been in the dedicated hands of Dominik Sona. He and his cellar master Franziska Schmitt are intensely hard-working and strictly honor the arch-traditional style of this beautiful, centuries-old cellar. Koehler-Ruprecht is known for broad, rich and minerally Rieslings, Pinots and Chardonnays sourced from three locations in Kallstadt.
All wines are spontaneously fermented on their own yeasts and aged entirely in large, neutral stück (1200L oval casks) and halbstück (600L). No chaptalization, no enzymes, and no manipulations of any kind are practiced here. These are extremely old-school wines from an estate making trocken (dry) wines before it was trendy. In fact, the estate cleaves to the old labeling practice of putting both the pradikät and the trocken designation on each wine (e.g., Auslese Trocken), which the VDP no longer allows; it was one reason they left the consortium after 80 years of membership! Koehler-Ruprecht’s wines are released conspicuously late and are best enjoyed with bottle age, particularly the “R” reserve wines. It is safe to say there are no other wines like these made in Germany—or anywhere.
Bottle: $31 | Glass: $14
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Place: Santa Barbara County, California
Process: Manual harvest. Stainless steel fermentation in temperature controlled vats. The wine ages in 10% new François Frères French oak barrels for 10 months.
Family: Beginning with the 1978 harvest, Jim Clendenen was assistant winemaker at Zaca Mesa Winery for three vintages, a valued training experience. In 1981 his vision broadened with three harvests in one year as Jim worked crush and directed the harvest at wineries in Australia and France. Three harvests in one year confirmed his masochistic tendencies.In 1982, Clendenen decided, along with Adam Tolmach, to start a winery dedicated to Burgundian varietals. Adam left in 1990 to pursue his own efforts leaving Jim solo at the helm.
Au Bon Climat (which means “a well exposed vineyard”) sources fruit from several of the most highly regarded vineyards in the Central Coast. These include Clendenen’s own Le Bon Climat Vineyard and estate plantings at the legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard – both in Santa Maria Valley, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills, Los Alamos Vineyard (Santa Barbara County), and San Luis Obispo County’s Talley Vineyard.The winery has cultivated an international reputation for its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Jim Clendenen, the “Mind Behind” Au Bon Climat, is recognized worldwide for his classically styled wines.
Bottle: $29 | Glass: $13