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I am a self-proclaimed, and very public eco-geek gal. The part of my life I do not spend honing my performance skills, I spend building my environmental savvy. Both are exciting beyond measure to me. And when I am very passionate about something, I genuinely enjoy emmersing myself in the subject completely.

When wine tasting, my passion for the environment is magnified. I want to experience everything I can, not only in the wine, but in its farming practices, social responsibility and environmental sustainability.

And if I've scoured the Internet, cross-referenced literature, toured vineyards and chatted with wine makers, nothing throws a clinker in that research like a multi-vineyard bottle. My eco quality control falls down around my ankles and I am left standing there bare-bummed, wondering if the outsourced grapes’ vineyards share the same sustainability commitment as the labeling winery. It is possible for a winery’s vineyards to have certified biodynamic farming practices, for example, while the wine they are pouring was fermented from conventionally farmed outsourced grapes. Makes my eco-geek gal’s passion exponentially more difficult to satiate!

Sustainability
Last blog entry I reviewed a bottle of 2008 Bouchaine Estate Chardonnay, and detailed several of the Bouchaine vinyard’s environmental accolades that have earned them a membership in the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group as well as the integral Fish Friendly Farming certification. Unfortunately, this week it will be more difficult to focus on the environmental commitment that went into Bouchaine's 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir because I have not verified the farming practices of the Gee, Mahony and Casa Carneros grapes included in this pour—the disadvantage of multi-vineyard eco-conscious-wine reviewing. The advantage of multi-vineyard wine blending, however, is a cross section of Pinot Noir flavors that represent the Carneros Valley as a whole, rather than just one farmer’s lot. These handpicked Dijon, Pommard and Swan Pinot Noir clones are selected from Bouchaine’s “neighbors,” as they put it themselves, so I prefer to think of this wine as communally grown, winemaker crafted, and a fine terroir representation of south Napa’s Carneros Valley.

Cork
With the cork pop comes, as with the 2008 Bouchaine Estate Chardonnay I tasted last time, a sweet freshness. The 2007 Bouchaine Carneros Pinot Noir cork smells deliciously fruity. However, although California's Pinot Noirs have become quite the fruit-forward “gateway red” for white lovers, the cork on this Bouchaine just might be the most available fruit presence this bottle has to offer, so keep sniffing.

Eyes
Ruby tear drops fall from this wine. A rich, romantic red at the exposed edges of the glass is the effect of a clean filtration process, with no fining at all. Michael Richmond, the winemaker, shares with me that Bouchaine's "filtration process is sufficient to soften the mouth feel" of their Pinot Noir, and this grape "doesn't have so much tannin to begin with—in contrast to, say, Cabernet and Syrah," negating the need for fining to the delight of concerned vegans. Of course, as Michael adds regarding Bouchaine’s fined wines, "No vestige of any fining agent could get through that (.25 micron crossflow filter followed by a .45 micron membrane filter at bottling) gauntlet. Thus any vegan concern would be based on belief and moral principles, not on any tangible reality." Which is similar to the perspective I share in my recent piece on Vegan Wines.

Nose
The nose on this wine screams, "Drink me, eat me!" And right away causes me to go down that rabbit hole in search of fruit comparisons. If the wine is a warm room temperature, under a layer of desert sand you will discover black cherries and red licorice whips. This is a great nose.

Mouth
Out of the bottle, this wine shocked me with its bold attitude. After relishing that fruity cork, I was truly expecting the fruit-forward, new-world, California-style Pinot that the world has come to love. But I found a dry Pinot Noir that kept its black cherry aromas all to itself in the actual tasting. Thus, although this wine is confident and immediately enjoyable right out of the bottle, I feel there is something missing—like the front and the back of my mouth are getting all the attention, while my mid-palate is being ignored. However, if you are patient enough to decant for four hours as I did (yes, I am decanting Pinot Noir), then you will be in for another surprise: this wine changes dramatically with aeration, from a confident two-tone to a well-structured specimen offering sophistication and smooth texture.

If you can wait the four hours, please do. If you are at the tasting room itself, favor the bottle that was opened yesterday, because with time, the cherries really do come out. Not like cherry fireworks igniting the night sky, but more like one highly prized gem-quality black cherry revealed to you, and only you, from inside a carob-syrup suitcase sitting on a Thai basil ransom note: "Hand over your patience and we will give you back your cherry." If only...

Bring this wine to the party. Preside over a decanting ritual, and find a quiet corner where you can pour small tastes to your most relaxed friends. This Pinot's structure is a yogi that opens up after a few long breaths.

Pairing
The 2007 Bouchaine Carneros Pinot Noir is a delight for raw/vegan pairing because it can be sipped throughout the meal—from appetizer to desert. Start with a simple spinach and cauliflower salad dressed with light local olive oil and Himalayan salt, followed by fermented cashew/hempseed cheese on sun-dried tomato, pumpkin seed and roasted chicory flax crackers. Continue enjoying this Pinot Noir with a dessert bowl of pomegranate seeds and pine nuts—no silverware necessary.

I realize that because traditional wine reviews feature meat and dairy pairings, my raw/vegan suggestions might seem exciting but intangible. When my full wine-tasting book comes out, I'll include the recipes and resources. For now, just riff off of my suggestions and create your own menu. Wine is, after all, entirely about one's personal experience of it. This is your personal call to develop your sensuality, explore your tastes, learn your preferences and own your prerogatives through wine.

Additional resources:
An Introduction to Eco-Friendly Wine Certifications
Certified Organic Wine
Certified Biodynamic Wine
Certified Sustainable Wine
The 'Fish Friendly Farming' Wine Certification
Vegan Wine
Why Eco-Consciously Produced Wine Is Best
Sustainable Wine Review: 2008 Bouchaine Estate Chardonnay

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