The Truth About New World Pinot Noir

Posted 03/26/2008 at 08:35 AM by Ben

New World winemakers routinely warn us not to compare their wines to the corresponding wines from Europe. The soil, climate, and winemaking philosophies are just too different. This makes fair comparisons between Old World and New World wines impossible, they say.

To a certain extent, this is a valid point of view. New World wines do differ from their European models in important respects, mostly because of differences in soil and climate. But that is not the same as saying that they are inferior, or that they should not be compared.

What's surprising is that such comparisons often work in favor of New World wines. I recently tasted a relatively inexpensive New World Pinot Noir, the 2006 Villa Maria "Private Bin" Pinot Noir from New Zealand. No one would contend that this wine is identical to its European counterpart, red Burgundy, which is made from Pinot Noir in the Cote d'Or region of France. But what jumped out at me is that for many wine drinkers, a wine like the fresh and fruity Villa Maria works a lot better than a red Burgundy.

The retail price of the Villa Maria is just $19. That is an excellent price for a Pinot Noir of this quality. To get a red Burgundy with this much ripe, sappy Pinot Noir fruit and stuffing, I would expect to spend $30 or more.

Like many New World Pinot Noirs, Villa Maria is relatively consistent from vintage to vintage. I have tasted several recent consecutive vintages and all have been quite good. By contrast, Burgundy is notorious for the up-and-down quality from year to year. Burgundies from poor vintages tend to be quite nasty, offering little more than dilute, tart, unripe flavors.

Where a New World Pinot Noir like Villa Maria can't compare with the original French stuff is aging ability. But how important is this for most wine drinkers? Few people today are willing to put up with the inconvenience and cost of maintaining a temperature controlled wine cellar, which is essential for properly aging great red Burgundy over many years.

I just completed a tasting of more than a dozen well regarded red Burgundies from the great 2005 vintage and was mightily impressed. There is simply no doubt that many of these will be among the greatest red wines of the past few decades. There is equally little doubt that the greatest of these will require 6 to 10 years of aging before they will be ready to drink.

By contrast, the 2006 Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Noir is ready now. It should be drunk within a year or two while it's in the full flower of its vivacious, sappy, spicy, Pinot Noir youth.

There's another way in which the Villa Maria differs from a pricey red Burgundy. Instead of a unreliable, often funky tasting cork, the Villa Maria is sealed with a thoroughly au courant screw cap. That makes it a lot easier to open and enjoy without a lot of fuss. I'm all for that.

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