Californian Pinot can rival premier cru Burgundy

Californian cool-climate Pinot Noir can compete with premier cru Burgundy on quality and price.

That was the conclusion of a seminar hosted by the drinks business and The Californian Wine Insitute in March this year, which saw Gerard Basset MS, MW, OBE; Vanessa Cinti; Claudia Schug-Schütz and Keith Isaac MW discuss the character of Californian cool-climate Pinot Noir.

“California has an image of being very expensive but personally I think Pinot Noir from California is very good value,” said Basset, who is a sommelier, commentator and owner of Hotel Terravina in England’s New Forrest, speaking at the event, which was held in London during the Californian Wine Institute’s annual UK tasting.

Having discussed a price band of £20 to £50 for good quality Californian cool-climate Pinot Noir Basset added: “If you wanted a quality example from Burgundy at village or premier cru level, that’s what you would pay, so for me Californian Pinot is good value.”

Speaking about the natures of wines, he continued, “The wines display a lot of elegance and character, and they have a great image.”

He also stressed the reliable quality from California. “They are very consistent in what they propose, so it is very rare that you take a bottle from a good producer and find something disappointing.”

Rex Pickett addresses the room from the big screen.

Rex Pickett, author of Sideways, also offered his views via video link-up, and for him, Californian Pinot is moving in a positive direction.

He drew attention to wines that are lower in alcohol, higher in acidity, and in general showing more elegance. “We are seeing wines with more finesse, less interference… a more Old World style,” he said.

In terms of location, he picked out the wines from the Sonoma Coast close to the ocean, west of Highway 101, as well as those from the Santa Ynez Valley in the Central Coast region.

For another presenter during the seminar, Keith Isaac MW, it was important to stress what defines cool climate in the Californian context.

Isaac, who is general manager at Patriarche Wine Agencies, which, despite its Burgundy bent, imports wines from Monterey’s Hahn Winery, began by stressing the particular traits of California’s coastal climate.

According to Isaac, it wasn’t altitude or latitude that was the main influence on creating cool-climate Pinot in California, but fog and wind. Considering the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey, such moderating influences mean the area is a Region 1 climate on the Winkler Scale.

“The wind in the Santa Lucia Highlands often reaches speeds of up to 30mph in the afternoon causing the vine to shut down,” he recorded. “Like drought conditions, it thinks it must save energy, and this means a longer, slower ripening.”

Vanessa Cinti addresses attendees at the event.
Left to right: Gerard Basset, Claudia Schug-Schutz, Patrick Schmitt, Vanessa Cinti, Keith Isaac MW

He also highlighted the influence of cooling, moisture-laden air from the Pacific Ocean on grapes grown in the Petaluma Gap within Sonoma. Both Santa Lucia Highlands and the Petaluma Gap were, he added, small areas within much bigger AVAs – the former within Central Coast, which stretches south over 250 miles from San Francisco Bay.

Among other influences on the quality of Californian Pinot he picked out clonal selection and said that there were fewer Martini clones being used, which were initially planted in Carneros particularly for making sparkling Pinot-based wines.

Also focusing on California’s climatic influences was Vanessa Cinti, sommelier at upmarket American steakhouse Cut in London. Referring to Sean Thackrey’s Andromeda Pinot Noir from Marin County in the North San Francisco Bay area, she said that strong winds in the region created bunches with small berries and as a result, a high skin-to-pulp ratio, which gives concentrated wines, balancing the sometimes high alcohols.

Indeed, warning drinkers not to prejudge Californian Pinots according to their alcohol content was Claudia Schug Schütz from Schug Carneros Estate Winery, suggesting that the trade concentrate on a perception of alcohol rather than just the level.

Wines poured at the seminar

“At 14 to 14.5% abv if you have the right fruit concentration and a touch of oak to give structure, as well as good acidity, it is balanced… Don’t look just at the alcohol level, because you are not giving the wine a chance,” she stated.

She also said one can expect Carneros Pinot Noir to display characters of “red fruit, a little spice, some mint and a real lightness”.

And it is these attractive traits in cool-climate Pinots that prompted Italian-born Cinti to state, “Please give Californian wines a chance.”

However, half-joking Basset admitted there was a drawback to the appealing nature of Californian Pinot. “It’s so easy to match with different types of food that diners don’t think the sommelier is trying hard enough if you suggest it – and in fact, this could put it at a disadvantage,” he said.

Over the following pages are the Pinot Noirs selected by the panellists and poured at the event.

Keith Isaac MW:

Reata Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2010
ABV: 14.2%
Price: £20

Lucienne Doctor’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands 2010
ABV: 14.5%
Price: £30

Gerard Basset OBE MW MS:

Hartford Court Lands Edge Pinot Noir 2007
ABV: 14.4%
Price: £42

Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir, Au Bon Climat 2009
ABV: 13.5%
Price: £38

Vanessa Cinti:

Sandhi Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills 2010
ABV: 13%
Price: £32

Sean Thackrey Andromeda Pinot Noir 2009
ABV: 14.5%
Price: £50

Claudia Schug-Schutz:

Schug Pinot Noir Carneros 2009
ABV: 14%
Price: £27

Flowers, Sonoma Coast 2010
ABV: 14%
Price: £45

Rex Pickett:

Rex Pickett also recommended two producers making high-quality cool-climate Californian Pinot Noir, although he couldn’t present the wines in person. These were Sharp Cellars in Sonoma Coast and Gary Farrell in Russian River.