The 23rd Annual International Pinot Noir Celebration is upon us and the valley is buzzing with excited guests, press + Pinot noir producers from the US, Canada, Austria, France, Australia + New Zealand.
Today we had the pleasure of a visit from Pinot noir devotee + creator of the online newsletter Pinot File, Rusty Gaffney the Prince of Pinot. We compared the 2007 and 2008 vintages and played Thomas’ favorite game “taste the terroir” by barrel sampling pommard from Anne Amie Estate Vineyards, Rainbow Ridge Vineyard + La Colina Vineyard – all at about the same elevation but different locations and soil types.
Pictured above Winemaker Thomas Houseman, Viticulturist Jason Tosch, Rusty aka Prince + Sales Director Kim McLeod.
Below Thomas explains the “rules of the game” and shows how his former modern dance skills come in handy while scaling the barrels in search of the pommard.
The tasting room crew is busy setting up the dining room while Chef Maegen Loring from San Luis Obispo’s Park Restaurant is in the kitchen prepping for the incredible feast she and her team are creating for us tonight. Our friends from Goldeneye Winery in Anderson Valley and Rene Mure in Alsace, France will be joining us for our Pre-IPNC Winemaker Dinner in a matter of hours. The winery is closed for this event as we’re all sold out but stay tuned for our post about how awesome it was and sign up for next year!
Thanks for the pictures, we have all enjoyed seeing them! Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Mark | July 23, 2009 at 10:01 PM