Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival

Now that the frenzy has died down, I've had a chance to sort through all that happened at this year's Pinor Noir Festival. Thanks to Toulouse Vineyards, this year, I was a guest at the grand tasting and actually TASTED THE WINES (yay!)! In years past, I've always been too busy working on some part of the festival to even consider taking the Saturday off to taste.

There were so many wines I've been curious to taste in depth...Woodenhead, Copain, Black Kite, Jim Ball, Littorai, new Harmonique, etc. It was a luxury and a treat to have them all in one place -- to be able to taste one against the other. But the one that stood out for me among all of the fruit forward, New World style pinots (and oh yes, there were many) was Mary Elke's of Elke Vineyards. Such an elegant, perfectly balanced Burgundian style I have been missing for some time now.

The Toulouse Vineyards Open House on Sunday was gloriously sunny, non-stop crazy busy fun and wildly successful. We estimated over 300 guests visited that day. Inside, the tasting room staff poured bottles and bottles of the 2008 Rosé of Pinot Noir, the 2006 Estate Pinot Noir and the 2007 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. Outside, I taught an all day palate development and pairing theory workshop for the wines. Hundreds of guests learned about their own palate, the principles of similarity pairing and walked away with a custom pairing idea. I'm always thrilled with the response to our pairing workshops. Watching people get turned on to how they taste and what they like never fails to inspire me.

What is it about the energy of that place that is such a magnet for the public? Even with the drizzle and cold during the Alsace Festival , Toulouse's tasting room (actually the production floor) was packed all day long. There is a constant stream and righteous buzz of wine lovers that tend to taste and hang out for hours. Pinot Noir Festival was no different except we had the great outdoors to spread out into. Everywhere you looked, groups of tasters with wine glasses in hand were avidly tasting and talking about the wines, participating in the workshop and trying the pairings. If I could just bottle up whatever that is that draws wine enthusiasts to Toulouse, I could retire this very minute.

This year, we offered two pairing samples to taste. I'm ecstatic with the Lemon Rose Panna Cotta with Ruby Grapefruit and Tarragon pairing for the Rosé. It was the Rosé infoodcarnate. The earthy aspects of the 2007 AV Pinot Noir came into focus with an intensely tasty, umami riddled (thank you coconut vinegar) Philippino Beef Adobo with crispy shallot rings. From the moment the gates opened at 11AM, I did not stop talking once until 5PM. Needless to say, a grand time was had by all. Recipes and tasting profiles are available from the winery.