Pinot Noir All-Americans 2007

This is the time of year when “Best Of” lists appear everywhere and what better analogy for great American Pinot Noir than to name the top performers “All Americans.” I am always excited to present the 48 Pinot Noir All-Americans of 2007, the best wines I drank over the past year. The consistent and widespread high quality of Pinot Noirs produced in California and Oregon makes it challenging to pick those that stood out from the pack. It is a testimony to the cadre of passionate winegrowers who have scoffed at the suggestion that Pinot Noir is a “heartbreak grape,” and have successfully corralled the grape’s temperamental nature. The 2007 All Americans were chosen in the spirit of celebration of the great bounty of Pinot Noir that we enjoy in this country. These particular American Pinot Noirs were selected as much for their fruity, flirty, New World hedonism as their description- defying sensuality. Veronique Drouhin, winemaker at Oregon’s Domaine Drouhin, echoes my sentiments perfectly when she says, “There are lots of good wines in the world that give you pleasure. A great wine gives you emotion.”

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