Pinot Noir Ageing

Joe,

I doubt you will find many "hard-n-fast" rules here. The gamut of PNs is so very large, and personal tastes prevail. I like most Central Coast (CA/US) PNs with about 1-3 years of bottle aging. OR & WA similar aging, though I have had some that were just plain "dead" at 4 years. With Burgs, it extends to much greater times in cellar. I've had some older ones, that had lost much of their color, but were still so wonderful. How can a red wine, that is almost clear, hold such power?! Maybe others have some experiential tables on PN aging, that they can share, but again, it will be based on what THEY like, regarding PNs.

Hunt

Like Hunt says, Burgundies have shown the ability to improve with many years of age. I am currently enjoying some from the '88 vintage, which are only now becoming truly enjoyable wines. However, even in Burgundy it is the rare wine that can age gracefully for that long. New World Pinot Noir rarely is able to age that long without entering serious decline, although there are certainly some exceptions. Most of our CA, OR and NZ Pinot Noirs get comsumed at 3-6 years of age, though some could no doubt last several years more before beginning their decline. Acid and SO2 are certainly important for aging, but balance is also: without enough fruit to go the distance, the wine will just dry out with time. So, vintner, year and vineyard are all important factors, and your cellar temperature is too. The best idea is to buy multiple (3+) bottles of a wine that you like, and judge for yourself how it's aging by opening one up from time to time.

HTH Mark Lipton

The very best Burgundy can age for a very long time. Bottles from the late 1800s have been found to be good, but this is a rare exception. DRC and especially Leroy make some of their top wines in a style designed to last a very long time. However these wines now are priced much as are yachts. If you have to ask the price, you likely can not afford them. Well kept top old Burgundy is much more difficult to find than top Bordeaux, such as a Chateau Latour 1945. The few old top Burgundy wines often come from an estate when someone dies and the wines are sent to auction. Leroy sells a few fairly old Burgundy wines from time to time, but you pay dearly for their having kept the wine for many years. For the most part, you usually have to buy top Burgundy on release, or buy it within a few years after release at auction.

Just how long many of the new world Pinot Noirs can be made to last is still unclear. Many of these wines have only been made a few years, many vineyards are still young, and the wine making styles keep changing.

Thanks to all for the interesting information!

Would anyone care to comment in general on how new world Pinot Noirs compare to burgundys? Is it the difference between proven tradittonal wine making styles and the high tech approaches used in the new world?

Joe

"Joe" skrev i melding news:uMldf.23350$ snipped-for-privacy@news20.bellglobal.com...

Climate and soil are the major differences, secondly comes the handling of the grapes, from buds to barrels. There's not much high tech, really, unless you talk about megaplants processing millions of bottles but then it is hardly outstanding wine being made... Anders

Several factors, Joe. First, PN prefers cooler growing climates and Burgundy gets far less sun than all but a few New World locations. The less sun, the higher the acids by and large, and to me acids are critical for obtaining good structure and aging potential. Central Otago in NZ might be comparable to Burgundy in degree-days, but I haven't seen the numbers. Another important factor is the age of the vines. It's generally agreed that you don't get truly deep and complex wines from young vines, but many of the important PN areas in the New World have only been planted to PN for a decade or less, far too early to see the full potential. Lastly, PN is a very tricky grape to work with and it's taken winemakers in CA, for instance, several decades to get it "right." Even now, some CA PNs taste to me more like Syrah than Burgundy, so it's arguable whether the lesson has been fully learned or not ;-)

Mark Lipton

In the case of small producers in cool climate regions of California there isn't really much difference between the way their wines are made and the way they make wine in Burgundy. Many Californian producers have actually worked crush in Burgundy to observe their process in order to emulate it.

The major difference is climate during the growing season. We get more direct sun in California, so even with the cool nights near the coast the grapes ripen more fully, are harvested earlier and come in at higher sugars. This tends to produce wines with higher pH and alcohol, as well as more jammy flavors and less austerity in their youth.

That said, the aging potential of many California Pinot Noirs is still pretty good. They don't all fall apart in their relative youth, as a popular myth would have you believe. I have personally made a few Pinot Noirs that survived nearly 20 years in the bottle, and would likely have endured for somewhat longer if I hadn't finished them all off!

Tom S

As a bit of anecdotal evidence, about a year ago had the 1988 Domaine Drouhin (Oregon) and the 1988 Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches side by side. Both were excellent, with the group preference slightly favoring the Oregon wine.

Cheers, Marc

Joe wrote:

As a bit of anecdotal evidence, about a year ago had the 1988 Domaine Drouhin (Oregon) and the 1988 Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches side by side. Both were excellent, with the group preference slightly favoring the Oregon wine.

Cheers, Marc

Joe wrote:

Wow how much did that enviable indulgence cost?

Mainly, the cost was in patience. I got both on release, around 1990. The D. Drouhin was about $20, and BCM was about $35, if I recollect correctly.

Cheers, Marc

Mainly, the cost was in patience. I got both on release, around 1990. The D. Drouhin was about $20, and BCM was about $35, if I recollect correctly.

Cheers, Marc