About Oregon Pinot noir
How & Why Pinot
noir Ages
By Lisa Shara Hall
reprinted with permission from Wine
Business Monthly
The ageability of Pinot noir--like the aging of
any wine--is a complicated and controversial subject. That topic was
the focus of the most recent International
Pinot noir Celebration (IPNC) in McMinnville, Oregon. While
panelists raised many issues, and winemakers presented both young and
older Burgundian and Oregon Pinots to taste, not surprisingly, no consensus
was achieved.
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Starting with Age The first panel presentation focused on older Pinots. Moderated by winebid.com executive vice president (and former senior Christie's auction executive) Ursula Hermincinski, panelists included Jean-Pierre de Smet of Domaine de L'Arlot, Etienne de Montille of Domaine de Montille, Martine Saunier representing Maison Leroy, Dick Erath of Erath Vineyards Winery, Dick Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards and David Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards. The questions that the winemakers addressed circled around the topic of what makes wines age. The why question--why can it be so captivating to drink older Pinot? why wait to drink Pinot?--may have been on the conference attendees' minds as they tasted the older wines (especially the 1983 De Montille, aging marvelously and from a very difficult vintage), but the topic the panel attacked was all about what allows a wine to age well. Jean-Pierre de Smet summed up in his first few words the observation that became a central theme throughout the entire weekend conference: "It has to be a good vintage to age properly, but that doesn't mean it will age well," de Smet said. When asked directly "What makes a wine age?" his answer gained more applause that anything else that day. De Smet replied, "I don't know."
Etienne de Montille believes the key to aging is in the vineyard. Balanced vines play a critical role, he said, with healthy ripe fruit an important tool for aging. But de Montille cautioned, "It's more important to have good acid and tannin rather than alcohol and tannin." And if his 1983 Volnay Mitans was an example, that wine disputed de Smet's comment about the absolute importance of a fine vintage year. Most consider 1983 a difficult vintage. The grapes were very concentrated, with thick skins. Rain diluted the grapes some in September, but hot weather followed and re-concentrated the grapes. Hail in some communes caused problems (not in Volnay), and rot was present all over, requiring heavy triage.
But Au Bon Climat's Jim Clendenen (not a panelist at IPNC, but an attendee who brought along one of his outstanding 1987 Pinots from Santa Barbara) thinks that balance really isn't the ticket. "For wines to age, it's not about balance! You need proper structure. My 1987 was picked in harmony, with no adjustments at all. It had a naturally low pH of 3.45, even though the grapes came in with a Brix of 13.5. We used 50 percent whole cluster and that '87 is complex and interesting," he said. But is proper structure just another way to talk about balance? Does properly balanced fruit mean "properly structured"? Vintage Variation Dick Erath summed up that first day by asserting that "ageability still depends on a vintage year." This is absolutely true for weather-challenged Oregon, and mostly true for Burgundy. The next day at IPNC, a panel moderated by Jasper Morris discussed contrasting qualities of ageability. This is where the discussion grew more technical.
"These wines are two extremes," Drouhin began. "In 1997 we had a large crop; lowered yields, yes, but still a very-big crop. We had rain during harvest. We had to use saignée. The wine is pleasant now, meant for early drinking." The next year was dramatically different. "1998 was a warm year and we picked late. It was a very small crop and we gave the wine a longer maceration period." Drouhin says she used to choose the 1993 vintage as her favorite wine; now she says she prefers her 1998. As Drouhin emphasized style, Frederic Mugnier used the wines he brought to show that climate was the only difference. He said "We did nothing different in the vineyards or cellar, maybe only more lees contact in the 1997." The main difference between the 1996 Chambolle-Musigny and the 1997 is acid levels (the 1996 is higher). In fact, the 1997 vintage--much softer with less capacity for longer aging that the 1996--saw lower yields that the more concentrated, firmer 1996! (The yield, concentration and aging issues received limited discussion but loads of murmurs.) Mugnier's best comment: "The winemaker doesn't have much control to increase the aging potential. It's all the grapes." But the New World spoke up in defense of creating balance. Harry Peterson-Nedry of Chehalem in Newberg, Oregon argued that balance equals ageability. Like Drouhin, he showed wines from two recent successive vintages, the 1997 Rion Reserve Pinot noir and the same wine from 1998. But different from Drouhin, he talked about the need to tweak a wine in the cellar. What are the Quality
Factors for Pinot Noir in the Vineyard? Healthy plants mean no diseases, a fairly dry summer, and little rain before harvest. The grapes must be balanced, with enough sugar and enough acidity (resulting from cool nights, some stress and limited rain). Warm and dry weather promote thick skins, which contain more polyphenols. Strong anthocyanins come from cool nights and a lower nitrogen level. A low ratio of liquid to solids keeps concentration; poor fruit set and rain at harvest can dilute and defeat that goal. Ripe stems and pips need the same conditions. Are there differences between Old and New World viticulture that could make a difference? Viticulture philosophy seems to be converging. But with terroir so dominant in Burgundy and so untested in the New World, the focus is a bit different. Soil looms large in Burgundy, with best results from poor soils. Orientation of the vines is a consistent south-southeast. Plants are all grafted, with consideration given to soil, climate and vigor in choosing clones. Density is high, while New World density has to address competition (to limit vigor), micro and mesoclimate influences (for controlling temperature) and lower per vine production. Trellising has the same differences: Guyot with 3-4 wires in Burgundy, and a whole world of systems in the New World. Burgundy in large part (at least among the top hundred producers) has swung towards sustainable agriculture. The New World has shown increased interest, too: the Oregon-based LIVE program, organic, and biodynamic systems have been gaining ground. Vinification Methods in Relationship to Style But the wild card of finesse comes from what? Can you help create finesse? Drouhin wonders whether choices such as clones or wild yeast could contribute to finesse. As a Burgundian, she also brings up the oft-repeated ‘T' word: terroir. What can a winemaker do to style a wine for early or aged consumption?
In the very ripe 1998 vintage, he wanted to minimize the extraction, so he used no whole clusters, no enzymes, lowered the fermentation temperature a bit, and acidified the wine. The 1998 Rion Reserve offered big rich ripeness and extraction with a tight core needing time to open. The two wines showed definite vintage variations, but Peterson-Nedry's explanation of the cellar differences showed what can be done to accommodate those variations. Back to The Why Drink Old Pinot Question So why drink an older Pinot? Of course, it is all a matter of preference. In broad generalities, some people--notably New World palates--prefer the fruity brighter flavors of a young wine. The British in particular are known for enjoying all wines with age and more complex, less fruit flavors. Look at the international auction numbers. Pinot noir barely registers on the radar screen. Cabernet--Bordeaux or cult California wines--dominate the scene. Obviously that implies that more Cabernet Sauvingon is being made. But does it also suggest there's less demand for older Pinot noir; that Cabernet tastes better with age than Pinot does? What makes a wine taste better with age? One can certainly list the factors--oxidation, pH levels, tannin, the phenolic balance and the wild card of storage temperatures--but there isn't exactly a formula. And what is the desired character of an older Pinot? Should it be earthy? Should it be "barnyardy?" Should there be any fruit at all discernible? Who is to say what the peak drinking period is or will be? Then again, how does one judge whether a young wine will be able to age well? That's a classic question, most often aimed at journalists. As Drouhin said at IPNC, "Fine wine, one that will age well, is about finesse. if there is too much extract, then it's not finesse. The finish defines aging, as does complexity. But that increased complexity becomes more obvious with time, and is very hard to judge in a young wine." So we are back to the starting question. How do you make a Pinot noir for long aging? How can you tell if a young one will age? Perhaps that's why New World consumers prefer the obvious, drink-now quality of wines, and why the Brits--with a longer history of drinking aged wines--are willing to wait and take the risk. When the stars are aligned, aged Pinot noir can bring a pleasure not found in other wines. But knowing that up front can be problematic.
About Author Lisa Shara Hall Lisa Shara Hall is the author of Wines of the Pacific Northwest (Mitchell Beazley 2001) and the co-author of The Food Lover’s Companion to Portland (Chronicle Books 1996). She serves as Senior Editor for Wine Business Communications (Wine Business Monthly, Wine Business Insider and Winebusiness.com) and writes for numerous publications including the annual Hugh Johnson Pocket Guide to Wine, The Oxford Companion to Wine, The Hugh Johnson/Jancis Robinson World Atlas of Wine , and Decanter. Lisa is an active member of the Society of Wine Educators and the British-based Circle of Wine Writers. She is a frequent lecturer and educator, as well as the first candidate in Oregon for the Master of Wine qualification.---- - next -------------Oregon Pinot noirs- Reviews and Buy WIne
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This article is excerpted from Wines of
the Pacific Northwest,
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De
Smet also made a comment--confirmed with nods by the other Burgundians--that
has to shake a Burgundian's roots; that aging makes terroir less
important. After 20 years, there appears to be less a difference
between and among the wines. This was a bold admission for the French
to make considering that their battle-cry has been "Terroir."
David
Lett (at right) agreed with de Smet but addressed the
balance question. He said "It's not any one component that
allows a wine to age. It's a matter of balance, of fruit, tannin,
acid and moderate alcohol." 
Fred
Mugnier argues you do nothing different, that it's all in the grapes,
which is very Burgundian thinking. Harry Peterson-Nedry (at
right) talked about what he did differently in 1997 versus 1998:In
the difficult 1997 vintage, Peterson-Nedry saignéed the must, let
it macerate a bit longer, inoculated it, added enzymes for needed
color extraction and used no whole clusters. His 1997 Rion Reserve
showed well, with a more immediate accessibility and some elegance.
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