In a previous issue I said Kawarau Estate was the only NZ winery invited to this years’s International Pinot Noir Celebration in McMinville, Oregon.

I was told this when invited, but on arrival I was pleased to find Pegasus Bay from Waipara and Churton Wines from Marlborough were also present. The Pegasus Bay 2006 Prima Donna Pinot Noir stole the show on the first morning with the first formal tasting where one of four wines was matched with a different lamb dish. The wine was a lovely dark colour and displayed berry and plum flavours with a silky tannin finish. It blitzed the Domaine de L’Arlot 2004 Clos de Foret St George from Burgundy, the 2007 Dutton Goldfield from the Russian River in California and the 2007 St Innocent from Oregon.

Indeed all three NZ Pinot Noirs did the country proud. The 2008 Churton and 2007s from Kawarau and Pegasus were constantly remarked upon by attendees as stand out wines. In part this reflected the lower alcohol levels in the NZ wines and the more sophisticated use of oak. Winemakers from Burgundy seemed impressed also. My favourite moment was when one of the Meunier brothers from Domaine Jean-Jacques Confurin came up to me to advise he recognised my wines well. There were several bottles in the cellar he tends every day. But it was only in Oregon he was able to try the wine. He now understood why his parents were wanting to keep it unopened.

Several of the French winemakers came back for second and third samples and at dinner I noticed they were hoarding the NZ wines. Florence Leriche from Domaine de L’Arlot in Nuits-Saint-Georges advised me the Burgundy contingent had loved the NZ interpretations of Pinot Noir particularly the fruit rich styles from Central Otago. Another one of the French joked it was just as well for Burgundy they had a thousand years of history on their side and a reputation for wines which age for many years. Over the next few issues I shall review some of the interesting wines I tried from the US at this event, the event itself, and some trends emerging in the wine business.

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