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#localwine, Ankida Ridge, Coelho, Oregon Pinot Noir, Oregon Wine, Pinot Noir, Sequana Pinot Noir, VaWine, Virginia Pinot Noir, Virginia Travel, Virginia Wine, Virginia Wine Blog
Elevational and Climatological Challenges of Certain Vitis Vinifera in Virginia
In recent weeks I’ve spent some time reading wine related research papers for an upcoming series, and the terms ‘elevational‘ and ‘climatological‘ seem to be used with an above average frequency so I felt compelled to use these terms here for some unknown reason.
Though this title is a meager attempt at mad lib humor, there is certainly truth in the statement to be sure. Virginia’s heat and humidity can be inhospitable and less than ideal for some varietals. At the risk of over generalizing, the small-clustered thin-skinned fickle Pinot Noir grape is one such character that can have a rough go of it here in Virginia (called ‘minx of a vine’ by Jancis Robinson).
I am a fan of many (some) Virginia Pinots when used to produce sparkling wine, but have had a love/hate/dislike (mostly dislike) relationship with still Virginia Pinot Noir. In past years, I’ve found many Virginia Pinots to be insipid wannabes, showing no resemblance to the varietal beauty that can be Pinot Noir.
I have mad respect for the experimental exuberance of Virginia’s winemakers who take risks by allotting valuable vineyard space (and their time) to new varietals, but am confused as to why some winemakers/vineyard consultants plant varietals that have proven not well suited for Virginia’s climate. Editorial Note – I anxiously await a Virginia viticulture expert to challenge me on this point based on the potential of micro-climates that do not fit the standard Virginia climatological footprint.
This would be a great time to remind readers that I know absolutely nothing about viticulture or winemaking. I am simply an observer of common sense and an avid fan of drinking wine. To that end, I have a number of opinions about wine, in particular Virginia wine, based on many observations and much drinking.
I’m not sure I will ever be completely sold on Virginia Pinot Noir, but one of Virginia’s newest but not yet open wineries – Ankida Ridge Vineyard – is opening my mind to the potential of still Pinot here in the Commonwealth.
Ankida Ridge – affectionately referred to as their ‘little burgundy in the Blue Ridge Mountains’ by owners Denis and Christine Vrooman – is located about an hour southwest of Charlottesville just outside the town of Amherst, VA. Ankida is an ancient Sumerian word that means ‘where heaven and earth join.’ Aptly named given the 1,800 elevation of their 100-acre property – just 1.5 acres of which is planted to Pinot Noir. Since I am nearly finished with a series on biodymic viticulture here in Virginia, I will save some of the Ankida Ridge backstory for that series.
Christine first raised the idea of a comparative tasting a couple of months ago, but travel, family commitments, and work schedules prevented us from getting together until last weekend. Finally our schedules aligned and we gathered a small group of local wine enthusiasts at the Vrooman’s home, including Denis, Christine, their son and winemaker-in-training Nathan, Virginian-Pilot wine writer Jim Raper and his wife Deborah, along with my wife and me.
To remove ingrained biases (mine) we went with a blind tasting format. The tasting line up included Pinots from five different regions across several vintages – France, California’s Russian River Valley, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, New Zealand, and Virginia. The tasting lineup included (in the order they were tasted blind):
Ankida Ridge 2010 Pinot Noir, Virginia
$35 (expected retail price when released). 14% alcohol.
Bright red in color – giveaway for youngest of the bunch. Bright cherry throughout. Nice earthy component, like walking through the woods after a rain. Pungent alcohol component. As one would expect from a 2010, this wine needs more time in the bottle. The majority of the grapes for this Pinot came from Ankida’s estate vineyard, with a small amount sourced from another vineyard in Northern, VA. Just 92 cases produced. The 2011 Pinot will be produced from 100% estate fruit.
Sequana 2009 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA
$38 (this wine was provided as a sample from the winery). 13.9% alcohol.
Yum. Smelled like a berry only farmers market – raspberry, dark cherry, and hints of blackberry. Picked up a little barnyard and rose petal aromas as well. Cherry lingers on the finish. Nice acidity. Well balanced.
Coelho 2008 Paciencia Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR
$34.99. 12.7% alcohol.
Hints of raspberry and cinnamon overpowered by the alcohol. Question if that 12.7% is correct. The aromatic and flavor profile was all over the place, like a drunk guy trying to stay in the lines of a ‘Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters‘ paint-by-numbers painting kits. I’ve had Coelho Pinots on a number of occasions and always enjoy them, which is why I was surprised and disappointed at how poorly this bottle showed at the tasting. Not flawed, just not good.
Allan Scott 2009 Pinot Noir, Marlborough, NZ.
$20. 13.5% alcohol.
Nice cinnamon, raspberry and cherry components. Sour cherry finish. Nice acidity, well balanced. A solid QPR wine that I would buy again.
Louis Chavy 2009 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Burgundy, France
$15. 12.5% alcohol.
This was my least favorite Pinot of the five we tasted. The muted aromas and watered-down flavors that seem so prevalent in the sub $15 French Pinot market were a giveaway.
Given the vintage variation of the Pinots included, this particular tasting lineup may not have met the technical definition of an ideal blind tasting. However, the intent of the tasting was more about sharing wine and conversation with friends and discussing the various expressions of Pinot, especially Virginia’s expression of the grape relative to other regions.
For me personally, the Sequana Pinot was the standout of the tasting. The aromatic and flavor profile, acidity and balance of the Sequana were unmatched in this tasting. I would tip the hat to both the Ankida Ridge and Allan Scott as my second favorites. Given the praise the Ankida Ridge Pinot received from a number of attendees at last month’s Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville, I’m not surprised such a young Pinot fared so well against more mature offerings from other regions.
It’s interesting to see how this wine has evolved/improved in the last few months since I first tasted this Pinot during the grand opening of the Appellation Wine Trail in April (see recap of that day at Virginia Wine Time). Since the Vroomans live close by, I hope to spend more afternoons tasting the evolution of their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Thank you to Denis and Christine Vrooman for opening their home to us and for sharing their passion and fruits of their labor.
Virginia wine fans, you can follow the Vrooman’s journey and evolution of Ankida Ridge at the ‘Ankida Ridge Vineyard blog‘ maintained by Christine. Keep you’re eye on Ankida Ridge…
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Drink What YOU Like 
ANY grape can grow here in Virginia. Obviously the level of intervention in the vineyard may vary. The quality of resulting wine is the question. I think pinot can thrive here if planted in a carefully selected site. Too many decide to plant grapevines as after thought instead of searching out a location specifically suited for a particular varietal. Maybe this was the approach at Ankida. I have noticed more operations putting thought in to site selection with certain grapes in mind BEFORE acquiring land. This is good for Virginia wine.
Hi Jeff – thanks for stopping by to comment. I guess “technically” you are correct that any grape can grow here (although I’m not really sure I completely buy that). However, just because a grape ‘can’ grow here, doesn’t mean it should be. Isn’t the goal (for most) winemakers as little intervention as possible? It’s clear from this tasting, that wineries like Ankida Ridge are proving my opinions on what can and can not thrive here wrong. I’m certainly gaining more appreciation for micro-climates here in VA. Cheers!
I have not personally tried the Ankida Pinot, but i have heard great things. in my opinion, if it is great, it is an anomaly for Virginia.
Can any grape grow here? Sure, I suppose, but as Frank states, why? There are certain varieties that I believe have no home in Virginia period. Regardless where in Virginia you are, it is a wamer climate with humidity issues in comparision to the great areas for cool climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Gamay Noir. Site selection is crucial, but even at 1800 feet, I have personally not been somewhere I would plant a variety like Pinot or Riesling. Both of these varieties need long hang time to get good flavor development and fine grained tannins in the case of Pinot. They also both thrive on acidity. I am in one of the coolest vineyards in the State and had Pinot planted for 20 years. Since arriving in 2007, I have alway got high sugars and declining acid by the end of August. In general the fruit would be 25-26 brix, but the flavor and tannins were still way to immature. They really needed about another 3-5 weeks minimum which is not going to happen with low acids in the heat and humidity of early September. Could I play with select yeast strains and enzymes to coherse certain flavor profiles that may have been present in small amount and fined the tannins, sure, but i have no interest in making franken-wine that bares little resemblance to the fruit from that vintage.
I agree that experimentation is great, but there are simply varieties that do very well here and can compete on a world stage, and there are varieties that do not. I also do not see that as being a problem, that is viticulture. There are areas that make great Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gamay, etc. Do they try to at the same time push Cabs, Syrah, Merlot, Viognier, Roussanne, etc? Generally not. I am all for the belief of use what is great here and be the best at it instead of being middle of the road or worse at many things. We do not need to be all things to all people.
Thanks for weighing in on this topic, Jordan. I appreciate your insights here, especially specific to Pinot. I hope you are able to try the Ankida Pinot – it’s good
(best still Pinot I’ve tasted in Virginia). I’m all about opportunity cost – of everything…. ‘if I spend 3 hours writing this long post, what else could I have done with that same 3 hours (i.e. – like spend time with my daughter)’… ‘if I spend 1 hour cleaning, how many magazines could I have read in that same time.’ etc. Although I am not a winemaker, if I were, I would absolutely worry over the “opportunity cost” of planting varietals like Pinot Noir or Riesling here, vice Viognier or Cab Franc. Such a big decision. I hope wineries like Ankida expand to other varietals as well to see how their land can be expressed in Viognier or Cab Franc. Always fun to observe the growth/maturing of the Virginia wine industry…
Frank: I don’t disagree with your thought process, but at the same time no one would plant Pinot anywhere then. Even where it can be good it is still a time suck and a pain in the butt.
I do hope to try the wine soon.
Oh, the Sequana Pinot Noir 2009 is divine! I served that one last Thanksgiving. In fact, I may still have the empty bottle since it was autographed by the winemaker; he conducted a tasting at the local wine shop and signed the bottle that I purchased.
Intriguing post—some have suggested the same thing about Cabernet Sauvignon in Virginia. It doesn’t ripen enough, too “green”, etc.,
Hi Warren – Thanks for commenting. Good to know that Sequana has distribution here in Virginia. I did check my local wine shop – unfortunately they do not carry this label. I get this one paired very well with Thanksgiving dinner. Cheers!
Warren: This is one of the ones that i am on the fence about. I think there are some places in the State that can absolutely ripen CS. It certainly should not be everywhere though.
In our vineyard I can tell you that we are doing a lot of re-planting and none of it will be Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc. Both struggle to consistently ripen on our site. I would ague that this is also the case with Cabernet Franc in a lot of vineyards in the State. Where it is great, it is great, but where it isn’t, it is aweful. I find some of the higher elevation vineyards with great South, South East or South West slopes with a pretty severe grade can ripen these varieties, but not everywhere. That is why we need a better understanding of breaking Virginia up in discussions of what should be planted where and what to expect.
The one that shocks me is Petit Verdot which by nature physiologically ripens later then both Cab Sauv and Cab Franc. I have tasted some incredible PV’s though. I have also disagreed with some people on some of these wines. The thing with PV is even without being fully ripe it can be inky black which will give an initial perception of ripeness, but it can lack depth still. I do think PV works in a lot of places around the State. It could be one of those crazy exception like Riesling…Riesling is also a late ripener, but not here in Virginia. Our hot evenings bake that acidity nice and fast.
The fun of grape growing…..
Thanks for weighing on this. “… where it is great, it is great, but where it isn’t, it is awful…” Isn’t this true for every varietal here in Virginia (with exception of Chardonnay? 🙂 ) ? I will admit that I have held the view that CabSauv just was not intended for Virginia’s climate until visiting RdV. My discussions w/ Rutger reminded me of the importance of site selection (duh, I know this is a no-brainer that I shouldn’t need to be reminded of). To that end, I think CabSauv – in the right place – can produce excellent wines here in Virginia.
So, with these replantings you speak of… what are you planting? Going with more Rhone varietals?
We will be planting based on the spot in the vineyard. in our Road block we will be planting Petit Manseng and Muscat Canelli probably. It is a little less forgiving of a site and need varities that are naturally abundant in aromatics and can handle the pressures of being in a flatter spot with harder clay soils. These will be planned to be part of the Charval.
As for the new plantings in the Pond Block, Viognier. The Hill block got its replants this year with Viognier, Syrah and Petit Manseng. We will then be doing a lot of research around our property and abroad for the best next sites to plant, but yes Syrah and Viognier will be at the top of the plan for the right sites. Maybe some Roussanne or Marsanne if the site warrents it and I think we can ripen it.
It is true that being great or aweful could be said for most varieties, but there are some that can have a heavier prevelence uin certain areas. Varieties like Cab Sauv and Cab Franc in my mind are very Micro-climate oriented. I do not think there are even counties or areas larger then most vineyards that can lay a consistent claim to producing these varieties well and consistently. I agree about RdV and then would Jump to Linden and Glen Manor which all have vineyards with great aspect at higher elevations. They are more the exception then they are the rule in my belief.
I have to say, I would love to see all three of them with Viognier as well though. i know that is a battle I will never win. Just a curiosity thing.
Nice post just in time for the Pinot smackdown! Maybe someday Virginia will be a contender. Microclimates can be funny things. 🙂
CD
Great Post….I understand completely based on what is going on here in Texas. Texas surely is not Bordeaux and sure as hell ain’t Burgundy, yet some still persist trying to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay here.
Why? Cause, people buy it and spend lots of money to buy both varietal wines.
However, the experimentation phase in grape growing in Texas is in full swing. Finally, growers and winemakers in Texas are agreeing that Texas needs to make its best wines not lesser wines with names people recognize that make acceptable but not our best wines.
The experimentation in Texas includes warm weather varietals originating from southern France, Spain, Portugal and Sardinia – and involves Aglianico, Souzao, Touriga Nacional, Roussanne, Vermentino, Picpoul Blanc, and many more than I can mention.
I feel stonrgly that the best Texas wines have not been made yet (yet there have been some good ones) and I bet that the same goes for Virginia.
Russ