Cool Climate Pinot Noir & Merlot

Our latest AWS gathering was at the home of new members Pete and Ann Gruber, a lovely secluded setting in the highland woods near Loveland.  Ann supplied a wide array of hot and cold appetizers as we sampled some white Bordeaux, an Italian pinot grigio/chardonnay blend, and even some sparkling pinot noir courtesy of Walt Huber.
 
We sat for a blind tasting of four pinot noirs followed by four merlots, poured in pairs.  This may not have been optimal for the pinots as they tend to improve with exposure to air in the glass although with patience some development could be discerned.  After some discussion we had our standard two hand/one hand vote on best quality, after which the price was given and a best value vote taken.  Finally the bags were opened and the names unveiled.
 
Ann proceeded to cap off the evening with several dessert selections including cream puffs, tiramisu, and a decadent chocolate cake.  We also sampled some merlot and cabernet sauvignon from producer Rodney Strong and toasted to the gracious hospitality from the Grubers.
 
 
1.    Babich Pinot Noir 2003, Marlborough, New Zealand
** - This had a dark forward fruit nose with a richness that later gave a hint of molasses.  The medium light body had some acidity, sour cherry flavors with spicy oak, and finished very light.  I correctly guessed this as a New Zealand wine as my experience with them has always been less than wholly satisfying.  Others in the group thought more highly of it and it won best value vote.
 
2.    Benton Lane Pinot Noir 2003, Oregon
*** - Started with a restrained fruit nose with some smokiness coming out along with some acidity.  It had a nice medium body and substance, showed a bit of tartness, and fruit that came out nicely in the finish.  I've always liked this wine and earlier in the week had this in a group of 14 pinots where it showed very well.
 
3.    Pike & Joyce Pinot Noir 2002, Adelaide Hills, Australia
*** - Prominent nose with perfume/violet and cinnamon spice, this had flat sour cherry flavors followed by a sweetness that overpowered the acidity and gave an overall impression of thinness.  The group majority thought this showed the most acidity in the pinot noirs.
 
4.    Babcock Pinot Noir Grand Cuvee 2004, Santa Rita Hills, California
***½ - Started with a funky nose showing burnt match, this eventually blew off and went to a spicy note.  The body was noticeably singular in this group, having a thick full quality of fruit and glycerin that coated your mouth and made it fun to drink.  Brian Babcock is one of the hot-shot vintners in the Santa Barbara area and is possibly better known for Rhone varietals and blends, but this exemplified his style well.  The group by a slim majority thought this had the best structure of the pinot noirs and also gave it the best quality vote so his style can be said to be popular as well as successful.
 
5.    Sticks Merlot 2002, Yarra Valley, Australia
** - This had a dark nose of dried fruit, tobacco, peat, and a little iodine.  A dark fruit front went surprisingly light in the middle palate and seemed a bit vegetal and really lacked any sense of oak in the finish.  I never heard of this wine before but I suppose these days it may be more unusual if you have heard of an Australian name with all the new ones coming here.  This may have been the low point of the tasting and typified my disdain for a lot of merlots in recent years of its popularity.
 
6.    Foris Merlot 2002, Rogue Valley, Oregon
*** - A subtle nose developing some oak and ripe fruit, this had a nice rich body with oaky spice and chocolate and had heavy fruit tannins in the finish.  This got my vote for overall favorite although I was also leaning towards the Babcock.  The group felt this had the most pronounced tannins in the merlots.
 
7.    Gainey Merlot 2000, Santa Ynez Valley, California
**½ - This had a floral perfume nose with some acidity.  A rich forward fruit was a bit simple with a candy-like sweetness that dominated the finish.  This came from the Santa Barbara area but is farther inland from ocean than the vineyards used by Babcock.
 
8.    Clos Pegase Merlot Mitsuko's Vineyard 2001, Carneros Napa Valley, California
*** - This had a floral bright fruit nose that got your attention. The fruit and acid came on strong and seemed to fight rather than complement each other.  Because of this I found it lacked balance but the group conversely voted it to have the best balance in the merlots.  There was a prominence of fruit and oak tannins that exhibited some harshness to the finish.