The best Pinot Noir you have EVER tasted

Certainly the best 'category' has been the Dr Barolet Burgundies (although some people also include those as being among the best 'Hermitage' they've ever tasted!).
Among those, probably the 34 Vosne-Romanee (opinions welcome as to which vineyard/producer it originated from).
Last tasted about 10 years ago, and still not yet quite ready!

Alan, I don't suppose you can get your hands on a bottle of this for Mo'Cool 2010. If one could get one, what would it bring these days? 4 or even 5 digits I would guess.

The best Pinot Noir you have EVER tasted

Well that's a loaded question isn't it....

I'll say that "best" is something defined by time, place, and company and is hardly quantifiable. Instead, I'll give you some of the most interesting, impactful pinots I've had to date.

Patrick Javillier Aloxe Corton 2005 tasted with Patrick at his home in Mersault, sheer silky, perfumed deliciousness.
Scorpo Noiren Monington Peninsula 2006 at Billy Kwong's in Sydney, lively, vibrant and utterly unique.
Hartford Court Lands Edge Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2005 at home w/ good friends..... A surprising balance of intensity and freshness, I would swear that I
could taste the windswept seaside vineyards.
Cave des Onze Communes Valle d'Aosta Pinot Noir 2005 also at home with guests, almost rose in color, one of the most satisfying, elegant wines ever to pass my lips. And it cost less than 20 bones. Go figure.

2003 Marcassin Marcassin (and the 2004 is close behind)

1998 Jos. Drouhin Clos de Mouches

The most memorable Pinot Noir of my life is the '88 Dujac Clos de la Roche that we opened a few years ago. That one wine turned me into a Burgundy lover.

Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

Welcome to the board, Stu. But oh gosh, you'd make me pick? Okay, I guess the 1978 DRC La Tache--from magnum, no less, about ten years ago. That would, technically speaking, be the best. But several years before that, when I didn't like pinot noir at all I thought, and got my first taste of the 1990 Leroy Auxey-Duress, which put me into a state of euphoria for weeks, well, it would be hard to top that in a first-love kind of way. Of American pinots? The 1992 Domaine Serene Evanstadt we opened about three-four years ago probably ranks at the top, and the 99 Evanstadt along with the 99 Siduri 'Christian David', both drunk at ten years old, aren't far behind.

http://www.oregonwinepress.com/index.ph ... 02_Lawsuit

Btw, nothing happened on the 30th - it was continued.

And here's another look at it, with comments from a couple of winemakers.

http://www.oregonwinepress.com/index.ph ... 6_Clusters

Thanks for the article--I like Linda's word, "reprehensible". I wonder what, in the future, this kind of action on the part of Ken and Grace will make it possible for them to hire top talent? I mean, if someone had a choice, would they risk working at Domaine Serene?

Apparently the assistant winemaker has also quit so you are right Jenise that the winery may be in trouble hiring for the future.

Rahsaan,

I'm not sure about the source for later vintages, but I wouldn't expect the same result (I think that '91 burgs are under-rated in general). Still it would be an interesting experiment, especially since Maume's style reportedly became less rustic mid-decade.


Jenise,

I forgot about the '99 Siduri Christian-David. A great wine that I only got sips of at two off-lines. Hirsch juice, wasn't it?

Hi Stu,

I preface this selection with this caveat: My experience with burgs is limited. I would have to say that the best pinot I have ever had was a Muir Hanna from the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas in California. I have had some burgundies that would have probably been better than the Muir Hanna eventually but they were not ready to drink when I tasted them - infanticide, unfortunately.

Certainly the best 'category' has been the Dr Barolet Burgundies (although some people also include those as being among the best 'Hermitage' they've ever tasted!).
Among those, probably the 34 Vosne-Romanee (opinions welcome as to which vineyard/producer it originated from).
Last tasted about 10 years ago, and still not yet quite ready!

Alan, I don't suppose you can get your hands on a bottle of this for Mo'Cool 2010. If one could get one, what would it bring these days? 4 or even 5 digits I would guess.

Hi Bob,
Not sure about the Vosne-Romanee (in particular) but the Barolet 'underground' is still functioning. (Aside: there's a 'grand' dinner in Toronto in November where the Barolet 21 Clos de la Roche will be served; not cheap, but actually excellent value as several, 45/47/49 Burgundy and Bordeaux will also be served in tasting portions (1.5oz)). I priced the 21 at $2100 (currently) but the 34's are typically offered around $5-700.

Of course, I would NEVER bring an off-theme wine to MoCool anyway (out of respect to the organizers).

[Jenise]

Apparently the assistant winemaker has also quit so you are right Jenise that the winery may be in trouble hiring for the future.

Right, who's going to take the chance? The Evanstadts can afford endless litigation, but most winemakers could not.

For some reason I can never think of particular wine epiphanies or 'best' wines in any category.

Like many others, remembering certain wines for the special context and their special role in the development of my palate is more likely to have meaning.

I'm with Rahsaan. In fact, I try to avoid thinking along "best" "worst" "most" lines. I can remember some wonderful meals with wine, but they were wonderful because of the interplay between the food and the wine, and the conversation. To elevate one wine to the best would be like assigning points to it, or something.

That said, my favorite pinot noirs have all been Burgundy, and I'm pretty sure that none of them contained 9% syrah! (Had some great pinot noir/gamay/cab franc stuff out of the Loire, too!)

This bottling is young vine Mazis...

Where did you get this information?

Over on another board Claude Kolm is saying that the GC 1er is a mixture of Perrières and Cherbaudes and has always been so (at least in the 20 years he's visited Maume).

I haven't yet reached the true pinnacles of Burgundy, so I'll have to describe some defining moments in my journey instead:

Louis Jadot, Chambertin Clos de Beze, 2001 - the first Bourgogne Grand Cru that made me salivate so much I just had to buy it.
Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, Les Cras, 1997 - not the greatest vintage, I know, but this wine solidified my conversion.
Rene Engel, Clos de Vogeout Grand Cru, 1996 - My first (relatively) mature Grand Cru.

The best was probably the '89 Emannuel Rouget Echezeaux, with the '81 Rousseau Chambertin not being the absolute best but being that eye-opening experience. Never really got overly excited about my admittedly limited experiences with anything from DRC or Leroy. From elsewhere, there have been impressive bottles from Oregon (Belle Pente, St. Innocent, Rex Hill) and CA (maybe Dehlinger RRV) and even the Finger Lakes (Dr. Frank's '89 ten years after bottling!).