The problem with (making) Pinot

Yesterday, I judged about 15 Pinot Noirs, all from British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. With few exceptions, I wasn't overwhelmed. These were nice wines, but because I'd had the opportunity of comparison with Oregon Pinot Noirs from a Portland competition over the weekend, these didn't fare as well under the scrutiny of a blind judging.

I think I know why.

Pinot Noir is a particularly persnickety grape. It's difficult to coax into a great wine, as the Burgundians have learned over the centuries.

Those Oregon winemakers who produce what I think are truly remarkable wines - and frankly, there are a lot of remarkable Oregon Pinots - do so with extreme care. These winemakers are out in the vineyard year-around, working with the growers, the soil, the trellising systems, the tonnage, etc.

During harvest, they become even more focused via their gentle methods of hand sorting, gravity-fed systems, etc.

In the cellar, they are particularly careful with barrel selection (Ken Wright even buys "blond" barrels and toasts his own so they are exactly right), yeast, malolactic fermentation, etc.

Nothing is left to chance. Nothing is an afterthought. All of their waking (and, I suspect, sleeping) efforts are focused on making the best possible Pinot Noir they can.

Here in British Columbia, Pinot Noir is just another grape for most producers. They might work with five or 10 (or more) grape varieties, and Pinot Noir is one. With Pinot Noir, that isn't going to cut it, and the results reveal that to me.

That said, there are a few B.C. wineries that do put in the focus necessary to make superb Pinot Noir. They are the ones who make me think the Okanagan Valley could be destined to produce world-class Pinots. Frankly, the natural conditions are better here than they are in Oregon and - gasp! - Burgundy. No worries about rain, mildew or many other issues that get in the way in those regions.

But that is not likely to happen because the focus that is required to make Pinot Noir is too much. The good folks here in B.C. are producing some really wonderful wines, and they will continue to build on the success of their racy, fruit-driven whites and their amazing dessert wines.

They just aren't likely to make really great Pinot Noirs.

It would be really interesting to see what would happen if one or two of the winemakers from the Willamette Valley moved to the Okanagan to see what they could do with Pinot here, if they did all the work to find a great vineyard site, played with various clones to see what did well in these soils, then put the focus into making the wines. I think the results would be remarkable and eye-opening. But it probably isn't going to happen.

By aperdue at Oct 4 2006 - 6:28am
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B.C. Pinot Noir

Astute observation Andy. I agree that B.C.'s Pinot Noirs have been slow off the blocks (Cedar Creek's 'Platinum' and a Kettle Valley Hayman Vyd are the best I've tried so far). But B.C.'s wine industry is still in its infancy. Growers have used a shotgun approach and planted all kinds of varieties everywhere. It takes time to learn which varieties excel in which locations and then it takes a few years of experience to figure out how to manage those vineyards to produce the best grapes, not to mention the winemaking. Be patient. British Columbia will eventually produce Pinot Noir that will compare with the best in the world. Personally, I think it's fun and educational to watch these wines improve each year (at the risk of dating myself, I remember watching several Pinot wineries in the Russian River Valley go thru the same growing pains). In the meantime, there are some really interesting B.C. Syrahs to help pass the time...

By srd at Oct 6 2006 - 9:09am
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I would add Blue Mountain to your list of Pinot Noirs to try from B.C. The Okanagan Falls winery makes two kinds: the "normal" pale label and the "reserve" blue-striped label.

The folks at Blue Mountain are like the wine growers in the Willamette Valley: They are dedicated to making the world's finest Pinot Noir, and their focus is fairly narrow (they also make Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and bubbly, but their first love is PN).

The Mavetys' work with Pinot Noir convinces me of the opportunity for Pinot Noir in B.C.

You are correct that B.C. Syrahs are becoming quite interesting. We gave, I think, four gold medals to Syrah/Shiraz this week in B.C. And I think all of them were from one winery, believe it or not.

I got home with a case of what a few of us believe to be some of the finest Syrah anywhere. Anywhere! My good friend Dan Berger called me from California to make sure I was going to pick up some of the Kettle Valley 2004 Shiraz, which he completely adores.

By aperdue at Oct 7 2006 - 12:26am
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