Burgundy vs Oregon Pinot Noir
Make the sheets View: A4 · Letter
The page is the flight sheet for four Pinot Noirs, titled with the grape, a column each with its numbered ring, the colour and the name when open, and the same seven compact rows across. Every column ends in a Rank box, and the foot is one wide line for The difference, in my words. Pinot Noir from the two places often circles the same words on colour depth and mouth-drying, pale to medium and smooth to a little dry, so the decisive lines are mouth-watering and weight, where Burgundy tends to be fresher and Oregon a little fuller. The aromas to look for are red cherry and raspberry in both, with more forest floor and mushroom in Burgundy and riper cherry and spice in Oregon. It suits one to four tasters who already like Pinot.
Pick two from each side at similar prices, and if you can, one Oregon bottle from a Burgundian producer. Serve them slightly cool, about 14 to 16 °C, in the widest glasses you have, and pour blind with numbered tags so the place has to be guessed from the glass. Fill each row across all four before moving down, then rank, then write the difference, and guess which two came from Oregon before you look. Pinot changes in the glass, so come back to the first wine at the end. Print one sheet per taster, the bottle tags, and a full notes page if one wine deserves more. Delicate wines need a clean palate: small pours, water and a spit between each.
Questions
How is Oregon Pinot Noir different from Burgundy?
Oregon, mostly the Willamette Valley, tends to give riper red and dark fruit and a slightly fuller body. Burgundy is often earthier and more savoury, with higher acidity and notes of forest floor and mushroom, though vintages vary.
Which Burgundy compares best with Oregon?
A village or regional Pinot Noir from the Côte de Nuits or Côte de Beaune at a similar price to a good Willamette Valley bottle. Several Burgundy houses now make wine in Oregon too, which makes a neat pair.
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