Since when is high maintenance considered sexy? When it’s pinot noir.
Legendary California wine pioneer André Tchelistcheff, who mentored several Central Coast winemakers, is credited with saying, “God made cabernet sauvignon, whereas the Devil made pinot noir.”
The diva of wine varieties, pinot noir demands extra attention during the grape-growing and winemaking process, but the end result can bring about a lifelong devotion to this mesmerizing wine.
“It’s a very sensual wine,” whispered pinot noir devotee and producer Kathy Joseph, owner/winemaker at Fiddlehead Cellars in Lompoc.
“My idea of an ideal pinot noir is one that is multi-layered, has this intoxicating perfume to it, and has this incredible persistence on the palate,” Joseph said. “You just taste it and taste it and taste it, and it just slithers down your throat; it’s I’m sure why they call it the sexy wine … the wine itself creates a mood.”
Dieter Cronje, winemaker at Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria, concurs.
“I would agree, absolutely,” Cronje said. “It’s definitely the sexy variety, I’d say.”
But it’s also the most difficult wine to make.
“Oh, by far,” Cronje exclaimed. “I don’t even think there’s anything that comes close. You have to be involved every day. Syrah and [cabernet sauvignon] can take a beating and still be delicious, whereas pinot noir, as soon as you stop paying attention, it shows you it’s very unhappy. It’s fun to make, though, and it’s fun to grow. You have to be so involved with pinot noir to make a good one.”
Nearly 200 pinot noir producers who pay close attention to their wines will convene in Shell Beach the first weekend of March for the 12th annual World of Pinot Noir, one of the foremost wine events in the country.
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“We’re heavy on the Central Coast producers,” said Damon Miele, event coordinator for World of Pinot Noir. “But we’re also bringing a lot of producers down from Oregon, also Chile, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, and the Finger Lakes [in New York State] and of course France. We truly will have a selection from around the world.”
The weekend is full of pinot noir seminars, luncheons, tastings, winemaker dinners, and, new this year, Pinot Adventure Camp, offering unique outdoor opportunities to kayak, hike, or golf with the winemakers and then afterward, of course, drink their pinot noir.
Even the producers of the pinot noir that Wine Spectator Magazine named 2011’s “Wine of the Year,” Kosta Browne, will pour their wine at the grand tasting on Saturday, March 3. This is a rare chance to taste a wine that is virtually impossible to find because of the Sonoma County winery’s immense popularity.
“Kosta Browne, those guys up there are so kind and generous, and we’re really pleased to have them with us on Saturday,” Miele said.
World of Pinot Noir is more than a chance for the public to sip and savor some of the most extraordinary pinot noir on Earth; the winemakers also make sure to partake in their peers’ pinot noir and compare notes.
“You tend to hear from a lot of your friends and other winemakers that come around, ‘Is there anything we should be looking out for?’” Cronje said. “So, by the time it’s your minute free to taste some wine, you have 10 wineries that everyone’s been talking about all day that you’ve got to taste.”
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Presqu’ile Winery President Matt Murphy calls World of Pinot Noir one of his favorite wine events.
“Last year was our first year. We had a lot of fun. We focus on promoting our wine, but we get to roam around and take in the whole experience,” Murphy said.
Joseph, winemaker at Fiddlehead Cellars, said, “It’s so wonderful to be tasting the diversity in one room over the course of one weekend.”
She said she learned how to make pinot noir by tasting a lot of other people’s wines and educating her palate.
“So when I go to make my wines, I kind of make them backwards because I know where I want to end up, so behind the scenes there’s a lot of figuring out what do I have to do to create those textures and those aromatics,” she explained.
The event’s organizer recommends attending one of the grand tastings; 100 wineries will pour their pinot noir at Friday’s grand tasting, with another 100 wineries at Saturday’s grand tasting. Both will be held under the tents overlooking the ocean at the Cliffs Resort. Approximately 800 people are expected to attend on Saturday.
There’s a seaside barbecue and bonfire at Avila Beach on Friday night, March 2, featuring more than 30 wineries, and five intimate winemaker dinners on Saturday evening, March 3. Four wineries will pour at each dinner.
“Where else are you going to get the opportunity to drink world-class pinot noir and dine on locally fresh and creative cuisine?” Miele asked. “We have it right here in our own backyard on the Central Coast.”
People interested in going should get their tickets well in advance because some events are expected to sell out.
To purchase tickets or to get a rundown of all the events and participating wineries, visit the World of Pinot Noir website, wopn.com, or call 489-1758.
Sun wine and food writer Wendy Thies Sell will attend her fifth World of Pinot Noir in March. She’ll be the one with purple teeth, but a smile on her face. Contact her at wthies@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 9-16, 2012.