As regular readers know, this blog is all about comparative tastings: trying two or more bottles of wine at the same time.
Why?
Frankly, I can't open a single bottle of wine, parse out seven different flavors, make a judgement as to when it will be at its best and award it some precise number of points of out of 100, or even out of 10. And neither can any of the friends and family members who serve as fellow panelists in these blind tastings.
Most of the time, however, we can determine which of two or more bottles of wine we like the best and even give one or two reasons why.
Generally, we compare wines of the same type and vintage that are similarly priced. But sometimes we try similar wines that are sold at considerably different prices. This can be very useful in helping to determine when it makes sense to pay more.
That's what this posting is all about. In it, we consider an
Andrew Rich 2006 "Cuvee B" Pinot Noir ($25 ) an
Archery Summit 2006 "Premier Cuvee" PN ($48) and a
St. Innocent 2006 "Justice Vineyard" PN ($48).
For those who want the bottom line quickly, one of these wines, the St. Innocent, was a standout. Right from the first sip, this offering exhibited the complexity of flavors one generally hopes to find in an expensive bottle of pinot noir.
The other two offerings were both good in the sense that all three of our panel members enjoyed drinking them. After two rounds of blind tastings over two dinners, we ranked the Archery Summit second and the Andrew Rich third.
The Andrew Rich "Cuvee B" is a nicely made, red-fruit focused pinot with good acidity and a slightly spicy finish. Let's assume that it is fairly priced at $25 a bottle. Let's also assume that the St. Innocent "Justice Vineyard" is so superior in terms of its complexity that, at $48 a bottle, it is worth almost twice as much.
Where does that put the Archery Summit "Premier Cuvee" in terms of its price?
Compared to the considerably less expensive Andrew Rich, the Archery Summit is a softer, more mouth-filling wine and, instead of a spicy finish, it ends up slightly sweet. One of our three panelists liked the softer, sweeter finish while the other two of us felt the spicier endings of both the Andrew Rich and the St. Innocent went better with the food we were consuming.
Compared to the identically priced St. Innocent "Justice Vineyard" pinot, the Archery Summit came across as disappointingly bland both in its bouquet and in terms of flavor on the palate. Because of that, I would have to say this one is not worth $48 a bottle.
There are a lot of fairly intense, soft, mouth-filling Oregon pinots on the market at between $30 and $35 a bottle and based on the comparative results presented above, that is about what the Archery Summit 2006 "Premier Cuvee" is worth. Not because it is bad, but because it is over-priced relative to the competition, I have to rate this one Not Recommended.
According to the winery, the "Premier Cuvee" is made entirely from estate grapes, some of which come from Archery Summit's oldest vines. It is fermented in both wooden and stainless steel open-top tanks with native yeasts.
Assuming your budget permits, the St. Innocent "Justice Vineyard" pinot is Recommended. The winery says this wine was aged for 16 months in 42% new French oak and is unfinned (not clarified) and unfiltered. It also says that the wine should be opened and allowed to breathe for one to two hours before consumption and that, while drinkable young, it will age for up to eight years.
I would agree that while the St. Innocent 2006 "Justice Vineyard" pinot can be consumed with great pleasure right now, but I also suspect it will be even better in two or three years. But it doesn't have much noticeable tannin so I wouldn't keep it too long.
As for the Andrew Rich, at $25 a bottle, it is Worth Considering.