The Tasting Panel magazine

september 2009 / the tasting panel / 61 T he potential for making world-class Pinot Noir was realized in Russian River Valley long ago by pioneers like Joe Rochioli, Sr., Joseph Swan and Tom Dehlinger, but it was never an easy proposition or one that appealed to many winegrowers. Today, there are dozens of single-estate and blended Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs available across a broad range of price points and production levels. At the fifth annual tasting of the Russian River Valley Winegrowers, 20 such wines—and a few Bordeaux blends for good mea- sure—were presented by moderator Geoff Kruth, MS, before an all-star panel of winegrowers whose cumulative expertise shed new light on their success with this enigmatic variety. An Evolutionary Step "Phylloxera was an evolutionary step to new plant materials and vineyard architecture for Rus- sian River Valley," said Pete Opatz, an expert vineyard manager and viticulturist whose knowledge of the terroir across the growing area is unprecedented. Opatz noted that the booming economy of the late 1990s also helped push Pinot Noir into new areas of the county where it found success. Winemaker Dan Kosta, who grew up watching the region develop, pointed to a concurrent evolution in ideas about winemaking. "One of the best things we [as a region] have done is to let go of old winemaking techniques and innovate away from the Burgundy model to achieve exactly what you are seeing today: wines with transparency and expression, lots of color and intensity without being over ripe." Vintage of the Decade The 2007 vintage made an impression on winegrower Tom Dehlinger, who places it among the top four of his 30-plus harvests. "Late spring rains filled up the soil, taking some of the stress off the vines, and moderate temperatures during the growing season helped limit growth." (Dehlinger, whose consider- able success with Pinot Noir also extends to Bordeaux and Rhône varieties, be- lieves that 2009 is shaping up as a true vintage year for Cabernet Sauvignon.) Though the Pinot Noir wines made by the panel members were not tasted, of the estate wines sampled many showed red fruits ranging from ripe cranberry, dark red cherry and plum with complex brown spice notes of sweet cinnamon and cloves, mandarin orange zest (noted on two wines) and judicious notes of vanilla, caramel and tobacco. "2007 was a leisurely year that gave and gave," said winemaker John Holdredge, whose boutique family winery constitutes a labor of love. Local winemakers discuss the evolution of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir story and photos by Deborah Parker Wong From Burgundy to Breakthrough Sonoma The seasoned and the well-spoken: Russian River Valley winegrowers Tom Dehlinger and John Holdredge. Deeply-colored purple black with floral aromas of strawberry, blue plum and plenty of exotic spice and structure on the mid palate with touch of sweet vanilla on the finish. SRP $58 Floral and spicy aromas of sweet cinnamon with soft tannins mid palate. SRP $46 Grown on Dutton Ranch in Green Valley and made by Hugh MacPhail. Aromas of white pepper and ripe Mandarin orange zest, strawberry and ripe cranberry build on soft tannins in the mid palate. SRP $40

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