Ontario Wine Society: People's Choice Pinot Noir tasting, Sept 18/12

 The Date and Time: Tuesday, September 18, 2012  6 PM to 9Pm
The Event: People's Choice Pinot Noir, from the Ontario Wine Society.
The Venue: University of Toronto Faculty Club
The Target Audience: members and guests of the OWS
The Availability/Catalogue: none of the wines are currently available.
The Quote/Background: this was a special tasting of eight wines
cellared by the OWS. There were four 2007 Pinot Noirs from Ontario and
four 2006 Burgundies. Experts felt that a comparison between the two
years in two different countries would be "comparable". It was a blind
tasting, but you had to be physically blind (and physically lacking a
sense of smell) in order to screw this up. At least three of the wines
were very pale, so take a short: Burgundy. The nose confirmed these
three wines. That just left a fourth wine, and the nose confirmed that
one. The other four wines were all Ontario (but I would have liked just
one region, not wines from three regions). But now the fun started:
which Burgundy (from four listed) and which Ontario (from four listed).
Unfortunately, there were some fun and games with the first four wines
which subsequently made it easy to identify the last four. Personally,
I would have preferred a straight shot at all eight wines in
identifying them. But it was not my call, and anyway, I am a
traditionalist when it comes to tasting wines. Sheila Flaherty,
formerly at Mercatto but now with Pearl Morissette Estate winery in
Jordan, did an admirable job in filling in for the guest speaker, and
bore the brunt of the work.
The Wines: We began the evening with a pinot noir wine tasting at the
reception. Three Ontario wineries were pouring. Between the Lines Pinot
Noir 2011 ($14.95, fleshy and North American appeal, 12.5% ABV) and
Karlo Estates Pinot Noir 2009 ($29, some volatile acidity, 12% ABV)
were joined by Union which specializes in blends (Union Noir 2010, 55%
PN and 45% Gamay Noir, 13% ABV, $15.95, good balance and drinkable
already; Union 2009, 12% ABV, PN, Merlot, both Cabs, Gamay Noir,
$13.95, still in holding pattern; Union 2007, N/A, 12.5%, same blend as
2009, yummy with aging).

 

**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Pelee Island Pinot Noir Reserve 2007, $14.96
-Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay Les Fremiets 2006, $69

 

***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price
Rating terms):
-Duvergey-Faboureau Pommard 2006, $32.60
-Domaine Besancenot Beaune Clos du Roi 1er cru 2006, $30.40
-Niagara College Teaching Winery Dean's List Pinot Noir 2007, $33.12
(best wine "people's choice" that night)
-Rosehall Run Pinot Noir Rosehall Run Vineyard 2007, $37.94

 

*** GOOD -- Three Stars (85 – 87 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Domaine Pierre Gelin Fixin 2006, $31.95
-Tawse Cherry Avenue Pinot Noir 2007, $53.98

 

The Food: an appetizer platter of cheese, beef, pate, and BBQ salmon
for each person.
The Downside: it was a slightly smaller crowd than usual because the
event was pricier, to cover the cost of the more expensive wines.
The Upside: a great opportunity to compare regions and to taste each
vintage for each country on its own.
The Contact Person: Ken Burford yvonnken@pathcom.com
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade):
90.

Chimo!  www.deantudor.com