Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/57654
REPORT RITZY PINOT #12: "DELICATE AND AIRY" Firesteed 2007 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon ($30) K nowing it was a challenging vintage, Howard Rossbach poured the 2007 wine for the panel. "It was a cool year in an already cool region," he conceded. But because the Firesteed Pinot Noir is a barrel selection, they were able to create a wine with ten months of barrel age—picking the best of their lots for this cuvee, which he deems the winery's "premier cru." "Soft, delicate aromas—reminiscent of a Volnay. The fruit shows an elegance; going a bit richer at mid-palate." —Ian Cauble "Burgundian traits, with lean minerality amid chestnuts and cherries." —Chris Gaither Howard Rossbach is President of Firesteed Cellars. RITZY PINOT #13: "SAVORY AND BROODING" Villa Maria 2007 Taylors Pass Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand ($44) Ste. Michelle Wine Estates V illa Maria was the first winery in New Zealand to go corkless. "Everything about us says sustainability," notes Jennifer Scott, DWS, is the Luxury Brand Development Manager at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Good drainage from silty loam soils on the north bank of the Awatere result in expressive dark fruit and a grainy-texture mouthfeel in this hand-harvested wine. "Powerful aromatics (olives, sage, rhubarb) with a lighter palate (meat, mushroom and tobacco) equate to an exotic wine." —Ian Cauble Jennifer Scott, DWS, is the Luxury Brand Development Manager at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. "Nice balance and beautiful texture combines bright fruit and a brooding inner core." —Jai Wilson 94 / the tasting panel / march 2012 SPEED T AS TING