Pinot Noir Lovers Embrace Elegant Wines

SEBASTOPOL, Calif., March 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pinot Noir lovers spoke out loud and clear at the 9th Annual Pinot Noir Summit. In an unmistakable statement of preference, they embraced wines of elegance and varietal authenticity rather than burly Syrah-like Pinots, the muscular Pinot Noirs made popular by a few influential reviewers and their publications.

Over 350 adventurous Pinot Noir lovers, seeking true splendor in the glass, experienced and evaluated 64 luscious Pinot Noirs in a blind tasting at the Pinot Noir Summit on February 26, 2011 at the Hilton San Francisco. The award-winning wines were selected by a professional panel in a series of blind tastings from a field of 367 wines. The wines at the Pinot Noir Summit represented the best of the best from this year's Pinot Noir Shootout.

In a distinctly different format and atmosphere from other wine-tasting events, attendees blind taste the wines and pit their palates against the expert judging panel. The wines are divided into 2 groups of 32 wines each. Comparative results: White Group - Purple Group

The Shootout is the only competition where the judges' conclusions are put to the test by an unbiased panel of wine lovers. All results and comments are gender specific.

9th Annual Pinot Summit Results:

Men:

First Place

Bouchaine 2008 Estate Pinot Noir, Napa Valley-Carneros

Second Place

McIntyre 2008 Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands

Third Place

DaVine Cellars 2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains

Women:

First Place

Steele 2008 Bien Nacido Vineyards Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County

Second Place

Leveroni 2009 Seven Oaks Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Valley

Third Place

Portalupi 2008 Russell Family Ranch Pinot Noir, Paso Robles

Shootout Panel Results:

Men:

First Place

Chamisal 2008 Estate Pinot Noir San Luis Obispo, Edna Valley

Second Place

Lucienne 2007 Lone Oak Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands

Third Place

Expression 39 2009 Annahal Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

AND

Woodworth 2008 Estate Pinot Noir, Temecula Valley

Women:

First Place

Mueller 2008 Emily's Cuvee Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

Second Place

Coghlan 2009 Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills

Third Place

Fess Parker 2008 Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County

Women delegates at the Pinot Noir Summit selected Pinots viewed as silky, elegant, velvety, and well-balanced by the female judges, wines displaying finesse over structure.

9th Pinot Noir Shootout and Summit Awards

Comments and scores by gender at AFFAIRS of the VINE by March 26th

Unique aspects of the PN Shootout:

• The most comprehensive and focused tasting of Pinot Noir in the U.S., utilizing an incredibly diverse panel of experts.  
• Just 32 wines are tasted by the experts per day, allowing the judges to be completely immersed, focused and fair to the wines.  
• There's no palate fatigue as a factor.  
• The wines are tasted completely blind without reference to appellation, vintage or price.

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SOURCE AFFAIRS of the VINE