Follow your nose

You would be amazed by what the “nose” tells you about a wine. In a wine made from pinot noir grapes, for example, it can indicate the type of season vis-à-vis the fruit notes. A nose of damp straw and fresh earthy mushroom indicates a young pinot noir. Dig deeper in a more mature pinot, and you will encounter a barnyard / leather nose. Dig further to detect a little mocha or espresso. The nose gives a great deal of information about a wine.

The palate will usually confirm all these fruit and other notes. As well as providing a silky pleasure, acidity allows the mouth to grip the wine. It can also give clues as to the longevity and aging potential of wine: the longer the residual flavors remain on the palate, the greater the aging potential.

I have neglected to point out in these columns that I usually taste relatively young wines. The County has to work with young vines and a short growing season. When you taste a local wine, you sometimes taste fruit from vines that are in many cases less than 10 years old. (I recall a winery in Chile apologizing because its vines were only 12 years old. It must be nice to have such problems?) The growing season can be equally as important by determining the nuances of fruit notes on the nose. A hot season, for example, offers up the nose of cooked fruit as opposed one of fresh fruit. Given what happens weather wise in the County, an early spring can be wonderful for the grower unless Jack Frost makes an unanticipated visit.

There are other factors that are more controllable. The application of oak can make or break a wine: just enough makes a wine food friendly and elegant; too much and just the opposite result is obtained.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
I chose pinot noir as an introduction to a stunning, very small production from the County. Cold Creek Vineyards 2011 Pinot Noir is literally handcrafted by owner/winemaker Chris Braney from fruit selected from his own vines. This new kid in town is yet another promising note on the potential of wine from this region.

This wine caught my attention with its garnet colour in the glass; a rich cornucopia of red fruit, mushroom, and hints of straw on the nose. The palate confirms the fruit, firmly structured by acidity, carrying all the flavors to a lingering conclusion.

Cold Creek Vineyard 2011 Pinot Noir is produced and sold at The Old Third Vineyard, located at 251 Closson Road. It is only $29 a bottle, but be advised, there is very little left.