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.
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.
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| The second IPNC panel discussed why some Pinots are best enjoyed in their youth, while others demand patience. |
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."
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.
David Lett 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."
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.
Véronique Drouhin (winemaker at Domaine Drouhin in Oregon (DDO) and as part of the Drouhin family négotiant operation in Beaune, France) asserted that aging is not about structure or color, but about increased complexity that becomes more obvious with time. That length determines a wine's future for aging. "It's about the finish, complexity and harmony of a wine," she said, explaining that the factors that controlled the aging potential are yield, style and vintage variations. By using the examples that were poured--the 1997 and 1998 DDO--she compared the two wines.
"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 her1998.
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?
Current thinking in Burgundy and the New World champions 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?
n 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. wbm