A couple of weekends ago, I started the unenviable task of reorganizing my cellar. In the process of moving several hundred bottles around for no good reason, I came to the realization that I have many bottles that are either, optimistically, “ready to drink” or, perhaps more realistically, “over the hill”.

With that in mind, a couple of Sundays ago, on International Pinot Noir Day, I decided to pull a few of those bottles when some “wine friends” came over (for those of you unfamiliar with the term, a “wine friend” will appreciate an older bottle of wine and commiserate when said wine tastes like dirt). 

My wife is, simply put, not a fan of “old wine” which is unfortunate since I am. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a fan of wines that have been held onto for far too long and are on the verge of undrinkable. But. As I have said many times, age is difficult to buy when it comes to wine–most of the time it requires one of the more desirable virtues: patience.

What makes old(er) wine so intriguing? First, there is the wine itself. How has the wine evolved? What secondary and tertiary flavors are evident? Is it balanced a decade or two out? But the experience only starts there as there is the story behind the wines acquisition and what was the world like in the year of the vintage?

More than any other product, wine is a bit of a time capsule, and opening an older bottle, at least for me, spurs considerable reflection, well beyond what is actually in the bottle.

So here are the four bottles of Pinot (we have a ton of older Pinot) we opened that night. What was going on in your life in the early to mid-2000s?

2008 De Ponte Cellars Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $45. Heavy Bottle (649g; 22.9oz). Under cork. It was (Inter)National Pinot Noir Day and we had already gone through a few so I decided to pull this gem that I bought during the 2010 International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC). I had never been to a wine “event” before and the IPNC would be a tough act to follow. De Ponte was my “host winery” for the weekend and they were fantastic. The wines, the winery, and the people were all incredible. As is this wine. 2008 was a monster vintage for the critics, and that tracks with this bottle. Dark in the glass with some black fruit, a touch of mint, and nice earth. Whoa. The palate is subtly fruity, with tart black cherry a go-go, and the acidity is off the charts. Yowza. The fruit and tartness, along with layers of complexity lasts for seemingly minutes. Whoa. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2006 Littorai Pinot Noir The Haven, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $85(?). Heavy Bottle (603g; 21.2oz). Under cork. Long before I started my blog, I was a huge fan of Littorai. While I truly believe that their Chardonnays are a (slight) notch above, this Pinot is ridiculous. Medium color and a touch cloudy, this exudes lovely red berry fruit on the nose–absolutely incredible for a nearly twenty-year-old wine. The palate is surprisingly fruity, quite voluptuous, in fact, with racy acidity and plenty of depth. It is hard to believe that this is a 2006. It is also rather difficult to fathom, given Ted Lemon’s affinity for French wines, how incredibly New World this wine is (in an Old World kinda way). Outstanding. 95 Points.

2007 Mongeard-Mugneret Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Narbantons. Burgundy, France: Retail $45. Very Heavy Bottle (712g; 25.1oz). Under cork. 100% Pinot Noir. It was International Pinot Noir Day and I had a few of my local winos over to pull a few corks. We started with a couple of domestic wines and then popped this once we went “International”. Whoa. Sure, it is a bit meaty and earthy, but whoa. Fairly light, close to translucent in the glass and the fruit is barely noticeable, but this is a fantastic wine. Secondary and tertiary elements of leather, a touch of barnyard, and that meaty aspect. On the palate, the fruit is present, but faint, with all those meaty, leathery aspects. No, there is not much fruit (much to my wife’s chagrin), but this is incredible. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2000 Domaine G. Roblot-Marchand Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, Burgundy, France: Retail $120 (?). Responsible Bottle (580g; 20.4oz). This was another bottle that I acquired after my good friend died a couple of years ago. His widow told me to go through his cellar and grab whatever wines I wanted. This was one of those wines. Whoa. Holy cow. And Fantasmogorical. Rather ethereal in the glass with subtle fruit: mostly red berry and slightly stewed. Some rhubarb is thrown in, along with an ounce of spice and just a touch of anise. Whoa. Once open, this started to fade fairly quickly, but before it did? Whoa (did I say that already?). Great tartness, subtle fruit, and immeasurable verve. Yeah. Wine of the night. And then some. Extraordinary. 97 Points.