PREVIOUS TASTING ARCHIVE – MARCH 2023
The Pinot family – Noir, Gris, Blanc and many more – is one of the most important in the world of wine. Not only for the range of wines it makes, but did you know that without Pinot Noir, for example, we would have no Chardonnay? Pinot Noir is a parent of Chardonnay, Aligoté, Gamay and several more well know varieties.
Leaving aside the role of the Pinots in the world’s best sparkling wines, for me the two outstanding members of the Pinot family are Noir and Gris. The elusive Pinot Noir needs the right sites and the right winemaking skills to coax the best from it, but when it is good, it is brilliant. Pinot Gris is such a multi-faceted variety, from the crisp, gossamer-light wines of Northern Italy, to the rich, mouth-filling power of Alsace.
What we’ll taste
We’ll line up three Pinots Gris, and three Pinots Noir, taking in both classic European regional styles and exploring New World interpretations. Our white wines come from Alsace, a classic Pinot Gris which is one of their permitted Grand Cru varieties. From Northern Italy comes a superior, very carefully crafted Pinot Grigio, and to round out the set, from Argentina, an example of why Pinot Gris is proving so popular with the world’s wine growers.
For our Pinot Noir reds we kick off in France again of course, home of the variety, with a red Burgundy from a family domaine. We look to Chile for a slightly less expensive take on Noir, but a special one, from 40-60 years old vines sited on stony soils fed by glacial streams. Rounding out the set, the cool and clear climate of New Zealand is undoubtedly one of the hot spots for Pinot Noir, and our example comes from a great vintage in the Marlborough region.
The tasting is split over two consecutive Wednesday evenings. We’ll open three bottles per night, but they’ll drink well through the weekend, so nothing will be wasted. And remember: if you cannot join us live for any session, our ‘catch-up’ service allows you to taste along to the recordings at your leisure.
How does it work?
- Tasting tickets and wines are purchased separately
- The ticket price is per household, not per person
- The ticket covers both sessions
- After you purchase your ticket, you’ll see a link to buy the wines
- We’ll make a recording of each session in case you miss one
- You may attend without buying the wines.
- Cave Turckheim, Alsace Pinot Gris (France)
- Terrazze della Luna, Pinot Grigio (Italy)
- Pulenta Estate, Pinot Gris (Argentina)
- El Viejo del Valli, Pinot Noir (Chile)
- Domaine Fournillon, Bourgogne Epineuil (France)
- Esk Valley, Marlborough Pinot Noir (New Zealand)