WOPN: 7th Heaven for Pinot Geeks

It is a special time to be a Pinot Noir lover. Since the first World of Pinot Noir held in 2001, there have been remarkable advances in the growing and crafting of ultra-premium Pinot Noir in North America. Years ago at this event, one could divide the offerings pretty much into good and bad. Pinot Noir was still causing a lot of heartbreak. At this year’s 7th Annual World of Pinot Noir, held this past weekend (March 2-3) at The Cliffs Resort in Shell Beach, California, it was more like good, better, and wowee! Good Pinot Noir is true to the varietal but not much more: “whitebread” Pinot as it were. Better Pinot Noir tastes like Pinot Noir, but also shows a sense of place (terroir). And Wowee! Pinot Noir not only tastes like Pinot Noir and shows a regional character, it has a sensuality that is easy to recognize but always a challenge to describe.

And there's more, including 30 tasting notes for wines from 18 wineries!