THREE LITTLE PINOTS

Just a quick note on some damn good wines I tasted recently with a friend from the ol' distro job. There are days when I really miss working as a sales rep, mostly because it afforded me the opportunity to drink shit like the following:

Domaine Hubert de Montille 2006 Pommard 1er Cru "Les Pezerolles"
This came to me via the former sommelier at Charlie Trotter's. The bottle'd been open for about 18 hours prior to tasting. Limpid, pale red color. Reticent nose of strawberry tart and freshly snapped dry twigs. Fine-grained tannins unobtrusive on palate, kirsch, rainwater, and oolong tea notes flesh out to an intriguing, pronounced blood and raw red meat component. Tightens up markedly on finish, tannins finally kick in as meatiness subsides, beautifully balanced and very persistent. Just lasts forever on the finish - like having to watch a Friends marathon, but in a good way. Silky and seductive like a Volnay, or better yet like that smokin' hot friend-of-a-friend of yours, the one who flirts with you mercilessly because she's dating an NBA power-forward and knows she can get away with just about anything.

Nalle 2005 Pinot Noir, Dry Creek Valley
Much more aromatically assertive than the de Montille. Smells of rose petal and crushed geranium. As pale but more purple than the Pommard. Light and lithe on the palate, boisterous acidity and then a wash of purple fruit, boysenberry and blackberry. Rose water and delicate berry mid-palate, finely etched and effortless, no sweetness or oakiness anywhere to be found. More primary than the Burgundy, without the umami dimension, still a lovely American pinot. Big ups to Doug Nalle, he and Andrew make some remarkably subtle wine from the Golden State. Opened probably 8 hours before I got to it.

J.K. Carriere 2005 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
Much darker and more opaque than previous two wines. Dark garnet red tending towards purple. Dark, brooding fruit and bosky notes on nose. Palate more rigid and shows a touch of herbaceousness along with black fruits. Whispered "Cabernet" for a moment, it did. Also, think tar dusted with dark potting soil. Never goes over the edge, though, alcohol's low and acidity's almost off the charts. Hits both the low A and the high C all at once. A bigger mouthful than either of the other wines. Softer on second pass, and far prettier. At one point my friend asked rhetorically, "Is this the best domestic Pinot producer in our portfolio?" Considering the wines he reps, that's high praise indeed. Too different from the Nalle to make a direct comparison; despite its virtues takes second billing to the Pommard. Opened at same time as the Nalle.

One fringe benefit of working in this industry is that even the most mundane event can provide the opportunity to taste great wine. We drank these while watching a Pittsburgh Penguins - Philadelphia Flyers hockey game. God, I'll be having dreams about that de Montille Pommard for days. Literally one of the greatest estates in all of Burgundy, and by extension, the world. I didn't get to taste it until Day 2 and it was still easily one of the finest wines I've tasted all year. I'd like to remind everyone reading this that Christmas is right around the corner. Shouldn't be much more than $100 a bottle. Not that I'm dropping hints or anything, I'm just... saying. Buy me some.