North American Pinot Noir

by Haeger, John Winthrop

• ISBN13: 9780520241145
• ISBN10: 0520241142
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-09-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

Pinot noir, the famously elegant, sexy, and capricious red grape of Burgundy, is finally producing impressive wines in North America. Credit talented winemakers, enthusiastic restaurateurs, and consumers in search of alternatives to cabernet and zinfandel. Considered perhaps the ultimate food wine, pinot noir has an allure based on its special combination of aromas, flavors, and mouthfeel; on its legendary capacity to reflect theterroirwhere it is grown; and on its reputation for being hard to grow and make. This is the definitive work on pinot noir in North America. A comprehensive reference for winemakers and aficionados as well as a sourcebook for casual enthusiasts, it includes extensive historical and viticultural background on pinot noir in the New World and profiles of six dozen prominent producers in California, Oregon, British Columbia, and New York. John Winthrop Haeger, known for his perceptive wine writing for more than fifteen years, gives contextual and comparative information about pinot noir in Burgundy and then tells the story of wine producers' early failures, frustrations, and breakthroughs in North America. He discusses plant genetics and clones, identifies the essential conditions for really good pinot, tells where the best wines are grown and made, and analyzes the factors that determine wine styles and signatures. In the second part of the book, he presents detailed producer profiles with accessibly written tasting notes on recent and mature vintages. A final section covers glassware, vintages, wine and food pairings, and other matters of interest to consumers. Maps prepared especially for this book cover all the major pinot-producing regions in North America.

Author Biography

John Winthrop Haeger is a former columnist for Wine & Spirits magazine and taught Chinese language and Chinese history at the Claremont Colleges.

Table of Contents

List of Maps	vii
Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	1	(10)
PART ONE: THE GRAPE, THE WINE, AND THE HISTORY
The Basics	11	(13)
The Burgundian Connection	24	(9)
The Rise of Pinot Noir in North America	33	(28)
Where It Happens	61	(67)
Clones and Selections of Pinot Noir	128	(21)
Winegrowing and Winemaking	149	(26)
Burgundies and North American Pinots Compared	175	(12)
Reflections	187	(230)
PART TWO: PROFILES OF KEY PRODUCERS
Introduction	193	(204)
Acacia Winery	196	(4)
Ancien Wines	200	(3)
Archery Summit Estate	203	(3)
Au Bon Climat	206	(4)
Babcock Winery and Vineyards	210	(3)
Beaux Freres	213	(2)
Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars	215	(2)
Brewer-Clifton	217	(2)
Brick House Wine Company	219	(2)
Broadley Vineyards and Winery	221	(3)
Byron Vineyard and Winery	224	(2)
Calera Wine Company	226	(4)
Cameron Winery	230	(2)
Carneros Creek Winery	232	(3)
Casa Carneros	235	(2)
Chalone Vineyard	237	(3)
Chehalem Wines	240	(4)
Cristom Vineyards	244	(3)
Cronin Vineyards	247	(2)
David Bruce Winery	249	(2)
Davis Bynum Wines	251	(4)
Domaine Carneros	255	(3)
Domaine Drouhin Oregon	258	(2)
Domaine Serene	260	(3)
Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars	263	(2)
Dutton-Goldfield Wines	265	(3)
Edmeades Winery	268	(3)
El Molino Winery	271	(1)
Etude Wines	272	(3)
Evesham Wood Winery	275	(2)
The Eyrie Vineyards	277	(3)
Fiddlehead Cellars	280	(3)
Flowers Vineyard and Winery	283	(4)
Foxen Vineyard and Winery	287	(3)
Gary Farrell Wines	290	(2)
Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves	292	(4)
Greenwood Ridge Vineyards	296	(2)
Hamacher Wines	298	(2)
Handley Cellars	300	(2)
Hanzell Vineyards	302	(4)
Hartford Family Winery	306	(3)
Husch Vineyards	309	(3)
Iron Horse Vineyards	312	(4)
Joseph Swan Vineyards	316	(4)
J Wine Company	320	(3)
Ken Wright Cellars	323	(3)
Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars	326	(2)
Lane Tanner Wines	328	(2)
Littorai Wines	330	(3)
Marimar Torres Estate	333	(3)
McKinlay Vineyards	336	(3)
Merry Edwards Wines	339	(4)
Mount Eden Vineyards	343	(3)
Navarro Vineyards	346	(3)
The Ojai Vineyard	349	(1)
Panther Creek Cellars	350	(3)
Patz & Hall Wine Company	353	(3)
Ponzi Vineyards	356	(3)
Porter Creek Vineyards	359	(3)
Richard Longoria Wines	362	(2)
Robert Sinskey Vineyards	364	(3)
Rochioli Vineyard and Winery	367	(3)
Rodney Strong Vineyards	370	(2)
Saintsbury	372	(3)
Sanford Winery	375	(2)
Siduri Wines	377	(3)
Talisman Wines	380	(2)
Talley Vineyards	382	(2)
Testarossa Vineyards	384	(3)
Thomas Fogarty Winery	387	(2)
W. H. Smith Wines	389	(2)
Williams Selyem Wines	391	(6)
Producers to Watch	397	(6)
PART THREE: ENJOYING PINOT NOIR
Advice for Consumers	403	(14)
Pinot Terminology	417	(10)
A Note on Sources	427	(4)
Index	431