The SOMM Journal

June / July 2017

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82 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2017 { varietals } Region and Country: Casablanca Valley, Chile The Wine: Ritual 2015 Pinot Noir (SRP $20) The Panelist: Allyson Gorsuch, The Somm Journal Casablanca Valley is one of Chile's cooler growing regions, fewer than 20 miles from the Pacific. Cool morning fog and chilly nights—with winds com - ing from the Antarctic—affect the taste profile of the grapes grown here, sur- rounded by 6,000 acres of native forest. Organic farming and minimalist wine- making meld site and technique in this Pinot's production. Winemaker Rodrigo Soto works with consultant Paul Hobbs to craft Ritual's defined style. With its expressive spiced plum brandy and raspberry nose, the wines overdelivers in value with a light and ethereal attitude that packs in plenty of red fruit, cola and coffee bean notes. Aged in French oak (20% new) for 11 months. Native yeast fermenta - tion increases its depth and intensity. Imported by González Byass USA. Region and Country: Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Wine: Yering Station 2015 Pinot Noir (SRP $32) Panelist: Sarah Mayo, Rathbone Wine Group Australian Pinot Noir is at its best in the cool Yarra Valley, just north of Melbourne in the southernmost region of Victoria (only the island of Tasmania is more southerly), where the maritime climate sweeps off the Great Southern Ocean. Granite and alluvial soils domi - nate: black loam over white yellow clay. Panelist Sarah Mayo refers to the winegrowing technique as "precision viticulture," similar to Burgundian site-specific rows. "This elevates the profile of Australian Pinot Noir," explained Mayo. And indeed the wine, aged in French oak for 11 months, drinks like a Bourgogne, offering notes of savory undergrowth with focused cherry and a buoyant New World mouthfeel. Imported by Rathbone Wine Group. Panel Moderator Anthony Dias Blue with Banfi's Lars Leicht. "I've been a Pinot Noir fanatic all my life," said Blue.

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