A couple of months ago, I set the date for my Seventh Annual Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noir for November 9th. That would give me enough time to clean up my notes and publish them in time for Thanksgiving, essentially the Super Bowl for Pinot Noir (Pinot is perhaps the most versatile of wines for Thanksgiving, able to handle all of those crazy flavors on the Turkey Day table).

November 9th had to be the day since I was once again to be a judge for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which was scheduled to occur over the second weekend in November. And since Thanksgiving would soon follow, it had to be that second Saturday in November.

But.

Without getting too far into it here, as some of you know, I am the JV and Assistant Varsity coach at my son’s school where he is the starting point guard. Well, there is a new head varsity coach this year (a very good thing; the previous coach was a disaster) and he is, well, zealous, and scheduled a practice for that Saturday. Luckily, I was able to convince him to have the practice a bit earlier so that I could get my Pinot on in the early afternoon.

Phew.

This year, there were 51 wines to go through, which took just over three hours. Pour. Swirl. Sniff. Sip. Slurp. Spit. Scribble. Repeat.

All 51, ready to be popped and then poured.

As with any reputable tasting, we started with a bit of bubbles, to get the juices flowing, so to speak.

Here are the first 12 wines, in the order we tasted them:

2022 Brooks Pinot Noir Cahiers, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $60. Fairly clear with a medium color in the glass. Great cherry and a bit of earth on the nose. Fruity and fresh on the palate with bright fruit and acidity. A great way to start the tasting. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2022 Stephen Ross Winery Pinot Noir La Encantada, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $68. Responsible Bottle (594g; 20.9oz). Darker in both color and aromas with darker fruit and some clove. A bit heavy on the palate but lightens up with a healthy dose of acidity on the mid-palate. Lengthy finish. A bigger style, but very well done. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2021 Stephen Ross Pinot Noir, Edna Valley, CA: Retail $38. A touch of cinnamon and cardamom combine with lovely red fruit on the nose. Subtle, initially but with lovely balance and weight. A gorgeous wine. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2023 Stoller Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $25. Very Responsible Bottle (470g; 16.5oz). Screw Cap. A bit of herbal on the nose with shy but darker fruit and just a touch of earth. Lovely. A bit stemmy on the palate with a drying component on the mid-palate. Excellent. 90 Points.

2022 Brooks Pinot Noir Janus, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $55. Medfium color and quite shy on the nose, really closed. Very nice on the palate if a bit muted with good black cherry and moderate acidity. This might need a bit of time in the bottle and/or a healthy decant to open up a bit more, but it is quite nice now. Excellent. 92 Points.

2022 Copain Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $55. Medium color but still translucent with a bit of cranberry and subtle cherry. Good fruit and some nice acidity, fantastic balance in that regard, but the finish is a bit short despite the noticeable tannins. Very Good. 89 Points.

Blind tastings are not all that glamorous at my house–they involve a bunch of brown paper bags.

2022 Stoller Pinot Noir Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $40. Quite stemmy and dirty on the nose, very stemmy, even, hard to pick up the dark fruity behind all those stems. Good tartness and solid fruit on the palate, but that stemmy nature comes through here as well. Very Good. 88 Points.

2022 Brooks Pinot Noir Old Vine Pommard, Eola – Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $65. A fruity and perfumed nose with hints of fruit. The palate is subtle and demure with intense acidity and a bit hot on the finish. More of an earthy style, which works. Excellent. 90 Points.

2022 Tongue Dancer Pinot Noir Putnam Vineyard, West Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $75. Heavy Bottle (630g; 22.2oz). Lovely nose of candied cherry and a touch of orange rind. Fruity and rich, a classic American (CA?) Pinot with oodles of fruit, great acidity, and a rich, lovely finish. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2022 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir Estate, Carneros, Sonoma County, CA: Retail $47. Responsible Bottle (586g; 20.6oz). A bit richer and darker cherry with some cranberry. Lovely. All this carries through on the palate with an intense black cherry and a perceived sweetness from all that fruit. Fantastic. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2021 Stephen Ross Pinot Noir Stone Corral Vineyard, Edna Valley, CA: Retail $68. Responsible Bottle (543g; 19.1oz). Another really rich nose of Bing and black cherry. Whoa. The palate is lovely but a bit muted, with shy fruit initially, but the tartness and the rich fruit come roaring in on the mid-palate. Very nice finish. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2022 Tongue Dancer Rambling Fox, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $45. Initially, quite a shy nose with some dark fruit and just a bit stemmy. The palate is a bit bold, but it works, for sure. Darker again with some stemminess, but wonderful balance and nice fruit on the mid-palate. Outstanding. 93 Points.

Capsules are such a waste, I wish wineries would stop using them!