Here are the results of a recent tasting of ten Pinot Noir wines. Our panel of expert and devoted judges worked hard to extract the scents and flavors out of these mysterious bottles of the delicate grape varietal.

First Place

Second Place

Second Place

Wines listed in order of placement:

1. 2001 Chalone Vineyard—Estate Grown—Monterey, CA—$25

2. 2000 Paradise Ridge—Elizabeth & Henry's Vineyard—Sonoma, CA—$26

3. 2001 Merry Edwards—Windsor Gardens—Russian River, CA—$54

4. 2000 Chasseur—Russian River, CA—$30

5. 1997 Calera—Mt. Harlan—Monterey, CA—$56

6. 1998 Arcadian—Monterey, CA—$60

7. 2000 Windward Vineyard—Monopole—Paso Robles, CA—$25

8. 2000 Wild Horse—Central Coast, CA—$20

9. 2000 Lange—Willamette, OR—$19

10. 1998 Leroy—Bourgogne—France—$25

Notes: It seems that the older wines, considering their pedigrees, did not fare as well as expected. Would it be that we are so used to drinking the wines young? Besides the French wine, which simply did not age well, it seems the cooler regions did better. Soils favored Monterey and Sonoma. The Calera definitely brought in chalky flavors, as did the Chalone, giving credit to the terroir. The small production Paradise Ridge (240 cases) impressed us for its pleasant consistency, good fruit flavors and progressive finish and came neck and neck with the darker purple hued silky Merry Edwards. Though the Arcadian is a well crafted wine, it might not have aged as best as we could have thought.

By the way, Pinot Noir, especially from colder regions, contains resveratrol, a compound that may lower cholesterol levels.