Sexy and Seductive Pinot Noirs

This week I was able to attend a class about sexy and seductive pinot noirs given by the Atlanta Wine School. This class covered all levels and price points of pinot noirs and was taught by the Executive Director, Michael Bryan. During the class, we were able to taste 9 different pinots from all over the world and a dessert wine. There were some “wonderful” wines along with a couple of “not so wonderful” wines. Michael purposely selected one of the “not so wonderful” wines on purpose, but the other one was by mistake and he was quite embarrassed about it. He selected one that was not so good to show how difficult it is to make a great pinot. It is the most difficult wine to make and the pinot noir grape is the most fickle and delicate grape to grow. That is where the sexy and seductive terms come into play. The wine maker has to be extra sensitive and caring when creating pinot noir.

The class was very informative and fun. It is interesting to hear Michael give an experts opinion and then hear others opinions in the class. That is part of the fun of doing tastings, not everyone smells or tastes the same things. There were some crazy analogies flying around the room, things like “smells like a wet poodle” or “tastes like licking the foot of a French cheese maker” to “smells like a lavender field” or “smells like a freshly scrubbed sailor.” Those were just a few of the comparisons that people in the class were tossing out there.

The wines ranged in price from $13.99 to $49.99. It might be surprising to some, but my favorite was not the most expensive. The one I thought was the best was 05 Domaine Serene from Willamette Valley, Oregon and was in the middle of the price range. You might also be surprised to know that the cheapest one was not one of the “not so wonderful” wines. It was actually number 4 on my scorecard. The two stinkers were both in the middle of the price range, so that proves that just because the price is high, that doesn’t mean it is a great wine. Pinot Noirs tend to be a little pricier on average because it takes more time and effort to create a quality pinot. But there are very good ones out there at the lower price points ($12.99-$19.99) it just might take some time to find them. But isn’t that part of the fun! You might have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your Prince or Princess.
As for the Atlanta Wine School, I highly recommend taking a class or a course from them. It would be a great place for date night, it would be fun to go with a group or it would be a great place to expand your wine knowledge. I plan on taking several more classes there. You can make it as fun or serious as you would like, all while tasting a wide variety of wines. How can you beat that?

Cheers!