Something to be said about Pommard Clone Pinot

Being my first ever blog entry I thought it fitting to start with a new love of mine, Pommard Clone Pinot's.

Since Sideways pushed Pinot into the forefront of everyone’s wine mind, I decided that I should start to examine the craze that is Pinot and see if I could jump on board because Pinot just has not been in my repertoire of bottles because I have yet to find one that can knock my socks off. So I've spent the past year or so in search of my style of Pinot and I eventually stumbled across the Pommard Clone... There is definitely something to be said about this difficult and delicate grape; despite being genetically unstable, difficult to grow and ferment and tricky bottle-aging, Pinot's stand out as a diamond transformed from coal. Pinot's can range from being big and bold with dark luscious fruit and earth components, to a lighter, delicate, feminine pinot. Like the Audrey Hepburn of Pinot Noir, the Pommard Clone is something that I have fallen in love with; hints of strawberry, cherry and tea leaves, smooth and velvety, perfectly elegant while still being intensely powerful. If the Pommard Clone was capable of riding a Vespa around Rome, I don't think we could be a better match made in heaven. The Pommard's that I have had have been the oh my god wine's that have made me the wine aficionado that I am. Everyone that has ever become captivated by wine has had that one wine that has just sends them over the edge and separates them from being a wine fan and a wine fanatic. Pommard Pinot's are that wine for me; 2004 Iron Horse "Q" Pinot Noir from Green Valley is fantastic, Pommard and Geisenheimmer clones making a beautiful wine; don't think about going to look for it, it's all gone, as the production is only around 50 cases, but keep you're eye out for the 2005 Vintage to be released sometime this year. But if you're looking for good alternates, Thumbprint Cellars 2005 Pommard Clone Pinot from Russian River Valley is equally extraordinary. Also check out Marimar Estate Pinot's, specifically the Sonoma Coast Pinot, but they blend Pommard into most of their Pinots along with some Dijon, Swan and Cristina clones. There's definitely some good Pommard's coming from Oregon and the Santa Barbara areas, but my next quest is to go directly to the source of Pinot, Burgundy France... (Well not physically, really I'm going to do some research, and go to Bottle Barn and see if I can't find a good French Pommard)

Good food and good wine just needs to be talked about.