The SOMM Journal

April / May 2017

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22 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } APRIL/MAY 2017 { planet grape } PHOTO VIA THINKSTOCK JAPAN'S ONLY MASTER OF WINE, Kenichi Ohashi, provided a snapshot into his culture dur- ing the International Pinot Noir blind tasting on Day 2 of Pinot Noir New Zealand 2017 at the Wellington Waterfront. He joined well-known and very engaging Australian critic Mike Bennie, local producer Marcel Giesen and Jancis Robinson, OBE, MW, in an exploration of greatness as shown through the lens of Pinot Noir. Panelists were tasked with choosing two Pinot Noirs from anywhere but New Zealand, and to give their perception of greatness in wine. Marcel Giesen selected two wines from the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in Santa Barbara, California—the Au Bon Climat 2005 Larmes de Grappe Pinot Noir (SRP $150) and the Domaine de la Côte 2014 Bloom's Field Pinot Noir ($70) and offered, "Greatness is there when a wine gives you pleasure. Greatness will come with time if the principles of quality are adhered to and the site can speak. True craftsmanship means producing detail at every level. Great wine is ultimately the symbiotic relationship between land and winegrower with harmony, humility, patience." Mike Bennie, whose selections were the esoteric Mythopia 2013 Illusion Pinot Noir, Arbaz, Switzerland (SRP $90, JENNY AND FRANÇOIS SELECTIONS) and in contrast, the Mount Pleasant 2014 Mother Vine Pinot Noir, Hunter Valley, Australia (SRP $60), added "Great wine hangs between usefulness and beauty. When it comes to beauty, our minds have been trained to glamour. But beauty is that, in the presence of which, we feel more alive." Thoughtfully, and perhaps to help us re-calibrate our palates, Jancis Robinson selected a red Burgundy, the Mark Haisma 2013 Morey Saint-Denis Premier Cru Les Chaffots (SRP $70, AMITIÉ WINES) along with yet another Aussie wine, the Tolpuddle 2015 Pinot Noir, Coal River Valley, Tasmania (SRP $78, WINEBOW GROUP), and commented "Great Pinot Noir signifies something really absolutely amazing and unforgettable. I'm so glad we managed to get things arranged to talk about quality rather than great. If I had been asked to bring truly great Pinot Noir, perhaps I would have nominated Roumier, Rousseau or DRC. But something told me you hadn't the budget." Kenichi Ohashi, who showed the Timo Mayer 2014 Dr. Mayer Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Australia ($90, VINE STREET IMPORTS) and the Meyer-Näkel 2014 G Spätburgunder Trocken QbA, Ahr, Germany ($22, CELLARS INTERNATIONAL/RUDI WIEST SELECTIONS), stunned the 600 attendees to a much needed silence (they were more talkative than a straight trade group, and it was hard to concentrate and take notes on this amazing flight of wines) with his statement, "Great Pinot Noir is transparent, with the best qualities of premium water. What I mean is that it is pure, lustrous and smooth, with a completely pure aroma and taste." He showed a stunning photo of the majestic golden temple Ginkaku-ji in Kyoto and then prompted us to lower our gaze to see the reflection of it in the surface of the pond before it. He explained, "This image captures the key element of Pinot. The still transparent pond water reflects the image above. Transparent is more complex than the traditional English meaning of the word. For me it means wine has three things: an unadulterated pure aroma and palate; a finish suited to the wine with a focus on harmonious aroma and palate; and silence and understatement," a perfect way to sum up the ethereal beauty of Pinot Noir. An Exploration of Greatness AT PINOT NOIR NEW ZEALAND 2017, THE BURGUNDIAN VARIETAL SHOWS ITS ETHEREAL TRANSPARENCY by Catherine Fallis, MS Panelists Jancis Robinson OBE MW, Hiro Kusuda of Kusuda Wines), Kenichi Ohashi MW, Australian wine critic Mike Bennie and New Zealand vintner Marcel Giesen of Giesen Wines delved into the greatness of Pinot Noir. Kenichi Ohashi is Japan's only Master of Wine.

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