Three different Pinots! Three “different” civilisations! One big clash! No sense of whatsoever! Let’s see what happened:
Cornish Point Winery Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2006, Central Otago
At first the Kiwi Pinot was rather stinky, full of cow shit, and showed additional scents of bright cherries, biscuit cake and impressions of sweet-sour-sauce. After some hours a more fruitful(l) character developed. Not very perfumed or elegant at all! I may describe it as a bit stubborn and close to the brink of one-dimensionality. The taste showed intense raspberry and bright cherry flavours, hints of band aid smell, some smoke, diffuse herbal aromas and quite a lot of fruit sweetness (very close shave, but still acceptable). The acid was OK, the concentration good and the alc. relatively well integrated. The balance was somehow fine, but nothing extraordinary. Probably a fine and well produced Pinot. Maybe a bit slick and aseptic. The QPR is questionable. From an NZ Pinot for well beyond 30 Euros one might get a rather different expectation than just such attributes close to a mediocre performance! Just a fine, well produced, uncomplicated and quaffable wine won’t do it for that price and origin. Not bad, but not really recommendable!
Weingut Claus Preisinger Pinot Noir 2004, Neusiedlersee
First of all: the Claus Preisinger Winery is one of the most reliable Zweigelt growers in Burgendland region. As far as I can remember I always enjoyed their Zweigelt and Pannobile wines. This Pinot is a different story! Dried fruit, coffee, nougat, cherries, dark earth, hints of cucumber and a butt load of sweet vanilla oak fragrances were intercepting my nose. The taste was pretty unusual for Pinot. I got concentrated and dark’ish flavours of roasted nuts, milk chocolate, tomatoes, dark cherries (almost a bit dried ones), banana split and simply too much vanilla oak flavours. It appeared to me much more like a concentrated, not over powered, Rioja. Maybe one form Benjamin Romero or so. After some hours this impression eased a bit, but Pinot? I really don’t know! Whatever! I guess, although 7 years old, it seemed to be very juvenile. I got plenty of tannin, stronger acid and a bit teenager like unbalanced character. The alc. should have been a bit more in the background. Definitely a high quality wine of impressive quality, but for me not so much of a Pinot Noir! Still one of the best front labels ever!
Domaine Fernand Lécheneaut et Fils Nuits-Saint-Georges 2002
This one appeared to me as the nicest Pinot of the evening. Unfortunately the overall impression was spoiled by some mild'ish cork influences. Nevertheless the quality, balance, lean strength and elegance were by far more sophisticated than its counterparts. Wonderful potpourri of well-aged dark cherries, some coffee, mild fruit sweetness, additional flavours of dark forest berries and even some hints of black olives!?! Blast! What a pity!
Clashes? Naaee! Come on! Just flaws, abnormities, dissenting understandings, slickness, marketing muck etc. No need for wild expressions or theories!
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