The UnCorker

Weird Wine of the Week: Dan Ackroyd 2007 Pinot Noir, Ontario

When you’re drinking the weird stuff and it happens to be of a classic varietal, it’s important to have benchmark bottles on which to rest your comparisons - ideally, consumed at the same time. But when it comes to Canadian Pinot Noir, it feels unfair to compare it to Old World (Burgundy, Loire, Germany), Warm Weather New World (California, Australia, Chile), or evenCool Weather New World (other parts of California, New Zealand, & Oregon). I mean, c’mon… it’s Canada. I guess we could have opened a bottle of something from New York State’s Finger Lakes region- the closest semi-major producing region of Pinot Noir - but, hey, why start now? So we didn’t compare it with anything. We just popped this sucker - which, yes, is produced at the eponymous winery of that Dan Ackroyd - and took a big, great white sniff and taste. Fresh delicous smelling fruit, loamy soft tannins, and decent extraction. On the palate, we’re missing some acidity which would have livened things up but overall this isn’t bad at all! And guess what - it’s $14 Canadian at the duty-free shop. For a varietal that we’ve almost completely sworn off if we encounter a bottle under $20 any more.

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2006 Hans Lang Spatburgunder Pinot Noir

The color is the first thing you’ll notice –  ruby colored, but with more of a brownish tint than you’re used to seeing in a pinot noir. Then the nose hits you – tart, red cherries and currants with a deeper, warmer scent underlying it all of figs and brandy. Like a lot of German pinots,  it’s pale and smooth and the flavors are subtle – but there is a rangy, smoky, gamy quality that makes this a unique and expressive wine. Paired with something fatty and smoky, like speck or a cured sausage, it is truly magic. In fact, this is one great charcuterie wine, and holds it’s own with any French pinot noir we’ve had in the price range (about $22).  German reds deserve a lot more attention.  The Rheingau is still growing about 80% reisling, but plantings of pinot noir (called Spatburgunder in Germany)has tripled since the 1980’s, and the country overall is now growing almost 40% red wines - including huge increases in vineyard acreage devoted not only to spatburgunder, but to unique regional varieties such as dornfelder, portugeiser, and lemberger (also known as blaufrankish).   We’re looking forward to drinking a lot more of these wines in the year to come.  If you like old world pinot noir but want to try something different, give this a go.  100% Pinot Noir aged 12 months in French barriques.

Mountain Road ‘Niagara Escarpment’ Pinot Noir, New York, USA 2004

What a great little surprise this wine was! Like just about everybody, our experience of New York state Pinot Noir has been limited at best, and frankly we thought we liked it that way. Here is a wine to change hearts and minds. This pinot is a cloudy bright brick red with an expressive nose of wild strawberry, spice and mineral. Bright on the mid-palate with finely woven tannins, this wine does disappear quickly , prompting a friend to say ” there is no there there’ which may be the case, but still a wine that could take a bit of a chill and be terrific with that picnic. Maybe its my New York pride, but we’ll be keeping an eye on Mountain Road. $22 @ Vintage New York