Let me first state the fact that I am, at this time, not a big fan of Pinot Noir. My first introduction to Pinot Noirs was about 4 years ago at a TexSom conference in Dallas, Texas where I tried 8 different Pinots and I couldn't stand any of them. So of course, I have shied away from them. That is until recently. I am a Cab Sav, Merlot, Malbac, Tempranillo kind of girl, preferring substance, spice and lots and lots of oak. I have been in the Texas wine industry since 2009, well, actually I started back in 1993, but there were not that many Texas wines then, and if there were, not that many that were good. The Texas wine industry has subsequently grown up and is doing a fabulous job on making really good wines these days, not to say there are not some out there that are not so good, but for the most part, they are. Subsequently, I have been drinking a lot of Texas wines. Pinot Noirs are not an easy grape to grow in Texas, although, there are a few Texas vineyards growing them, but for the most part, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian varietals tend to do a little better.
So why am I doing this? (when I told my mother I was on this
journey, she was like, "Why would you put yourself through that?")
My answer is that while working at Bingham Family Vineyards tasting room
in Grapevine, Texas, we had a lot of customers walk through the door asking for
Pinot Noirs. I would laugh and say, "Well, we don't have one, even
though The Binghams have over 200 acres of grapes they grow, Pinot Noir is not
one of them" and then I would let them try the Turnrow, which was an
unoaked blend of Tempranillo and Mourvèdre, to
which they would then answer, "This is perfect!" To be honest,
Turnrow was not my favorite, because again, it lacked substance, although it
did pair deliciously well with a King cake I made for Mardi Gras. So, I
am on this journey to find out what the big deal is about Pinot Noirs.
And although I haven't officially started my journey, I have had around 6
in the last couple of weeks, ordering them at restaurants, which I figure would
be the cheapest and easiest way to taste as many as possible. Not that I
think that most restaurants would carry the top notch Pinots, (well at least the ones I go to!) but they
will carry what people want to drink or else it will not sell.
I have done a little research on Pinot Noirs on the
web, trying to figure what they are supposed to taste, smell, look like.
I've had several "wino" friends give me suggestions to try and
I have bought a "Pinot Noir" glass to taste them in. Per the
Wine Enthusiast- "The Pinot Noir/Burgundy stems are not quite as tall as
the Bordeaux glass but will have a much wider bowl and sometimes will tulip
towards the rim. The glasses enhance red
wines with high acidity and moderate tannin by directing the wine to the top of
the tongue, highlighting the fruit and balancing the naturally high acidity.” Meaning to me, Pinot Noirs do not have a huge
bouquet and are soft.
Words that have described Pinot Noirs are: female, sensitive, fragile,
delicate, fruitiness, finesse, light body, see through red color, berry
aromas. Also, mushroom, truffle, sweet
wood, cedar, rosemary, caraway, rhubarb, oregano, green tea, plus many
more. My taste testing will not be a
scientific analysis, but more preference in my taste. As in all tastings, it has a lot to do with
the flavors you enjoy and the food you eat the most. I am a black pepper, espresso, big rib-eye
girl, so I like big, bold, heavy, but again, as I continue to age (like a fine
bottle of wine!), I feel the need to start eating a little lighter fare, so
this may be just the perfect journey for me.
So here we go, I hope you enjoy our summer together, and who knows, I
might just find the perfect Pinot Noir, for me that is. Now I am off to drink a nice French blend of Cab Sav,
Merlot, Petit Verdot given to me by a sweet friend.
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