Three Pinots - Three AVAs

Theme:  

I love Pinot! On every wine trip my husband and I take we enjoy searching out and trying Pinots that we haven't had an opportunity to try in the past.With the Pinot grape being known for taking on the terroir of its vineyard, I thought it would be great to taste three 2012 Pinots from three distinct AVAs in California - Sonoma Coast, Green Valley, and Anderson Valley. And why not drink one of my favorite California Pinot producers!! Let's just say it was a delicious evening! And if you love Pinot, I highly recommend trying a MacPhail Pinot! You can check them out on line or visit them at their new Tasting Room in Sebastopol if you are visiting California wine country. www.macphailwines.com

The Wines:

MacPhail 2012 Wildcat Pinot Noir

• Color:  Pale brick red with great clarity
• Nose:  An aromatic wine with youthful, bright red fruit with a layer of earthiness and touch of white pepper.
• Mouth:  A light to medium bodied wine with fresh acidity and a finish that goes on and on. Cherry flavors "pop" in the mouth with mineral notes on the finish.
• Price:  $49
• Rating:  4.5 out of 5

MacPhail 2012 Toulouse Pinot Noir

• Color:  Clear brick red wine
• Nose:  Cherry, earthiness, a touch of mint, this is another aromatic wine
• Mouth:  Very different flavor profile than the first wine. A wonderful silky mouth feel that is balanced and fresh with raspberry and a hint of butterscotch. This wine has a lovely, long finish.
• Price:  $49
• Rating:  4.5 out of 5

MacPhail 2012 Sundawg Pinot Noir

• Color:  Medium, ruby red
• Nose:  Another wonderfully aromatic wine with darker red fruit, spice, and earthiness-the fruitiest nose of the evening.
• Mouth:  Spicy red fruit, this smooth wine has a medium body that is wonderfully smooth. Another fantastic finish!!
• Price:  $49
• Rating:  4.5 out of 5

The Pairings:

Lamb Chopper Goat Cheese:  Wow!!!! We love this cheese and it is a fantastic match with all three wines. We didn't think the finish could get any better on these wines but when paired with these wines the finish went on and on, especially with the Toulouse. The fruit was definitely accentuated with this cheese.

Rembrandt Aged Gouda:  We love this cheese but it was too big for these wines.

Brie Torte Cheese:  Another nice pairing that we liked best with the Sundawg Pinot but is definitely a nice match with the Wildcat Pinot-really brought the fruit forward in a pleasant way.

Mushroom Soup:  This wonderful soup from Fezziwig's Marketplace was another wonderful pairing with all three wines! Hard to pick a favorite pairing but we especially enjoyed it with the Toulouse. A perfect example on how food and wine can make each other even better. A bonus-this delicious soup is not only tasty but quick and easy to prepare!

Smoked BBQ Salmon:  A very nice pairing with the Sundawg bringing out the succulent fruit of the wine. We also enjoyed it with the Toulouse. When paired together we found the wine became a little smoky and there was an added spiciness to the wine. The salmon was a bit too smoky for the Wildcat.

Chuao Dark Chocolate:  Very nice with the Wildcat and Toulouse-definitely noticed some caramel notes in the Toulouse when paired with this chocolate.

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Raspberry Chocolate:  Yum! Raspberry flavors of the chocolate really brought out raspberry flavors in the wine!

Conclusion:

Beth:  Looking over my notes from the evening I see things like wow, delish, yum. That pretty much sums up the evening for me! First the wines were out of this world. As expected the characteristics of each of the wines was distinctive. The Sundawg from Green valley had wonderful spicy notes and had the deepest red fruit. I loved this one alone, but it also paired well with the Lamb Chopper cheese, mushroom soup, and the BBQ salmon. The Toulouse from Anderson Valley was silky smooth with fruit on the nose more restrained. This wine's flavor exploded when paired with food. The mushroom soup gave this wine's wonderful finish and extra kick! In fact the flavors of all the foods really enhanced this wine. Loved the nose on the Wildcat! All the wines were fantastic with the Lamb Chopper cheese, but this one was my favorite. All of the wines had wonderful, long finishes and all paired perfectly with the wonderful mushroom soup. I loved them all and can't pick a favorite.

Lisa:   Wow- what a difference location makes!  With the Wildcat from Sonoma Coast I could really pick out the cherry notes up front with mineral on the end and even had a late warm feeling that lingered.  When I tasted the Toulouse from the Anderson Valley, I felt like I was in Oregon with an herbaceous mouth, maybe since the valley is cooler.  As for the Sundawg, it was definitely the fruitiest and yet to me tasted least like a Pinot. Even though they were all unique I LOVED them all! When pairing food, we started with the Lamb Chopper Goat cheese and was blown away by how they made the already delicious wines really pop!  Of course the mushroom soup was a perfect match with them all too.  The Toulouse was my favorite with the smoked salmon.  Finishing with the Dark Raspberry chocolate, again a hit with all!  Overall, I can't really pick a favorite since they were all very different.  It sure was nice to be enjoying them with great company :)!  Thanks for a wonderful class Beth!! I'll miss you both! Come visit me for class in Texas!

Mary Jo:   Oh, MacPhail! We love drinking wines from places we have actually had the pleasure of visiting! These three were all amazing Pinots!  The wines were very different, with the Wildcat having mineral and cherry flavors and earthy on the finish; the Toulouse having minty freshness and, eventually, butterscotch and caramel on the nose, with a silky, strawberry flavor on the mouth; and the Sundawg having a sulfuric, dark red fruit and earthy nose and spicy flavors.  All of the pairings were so enjoyable, as well! As we know though, not every good goes with every food. Unfortunately, the Rembrandt Gouda was not a good pairing. The Lamb Chopper and Brie, on the other hand, were amazing!!!!! The Toulouse Anderson went very well with the mushroom soup, and the Sundawg Green and the soup really enhanced the flavors of the other.  The Ghirardelli dark chocolate was a total WOW! The dinner, wine, and especially the company, were top notch.  I am blessed to have enjoyed so many similar evenings with two great ladies!!!!  Thanks, Beth!