Being seduced by Pinot Noir
has never been so irresistible!

On Sunday, March 2, 2008 consumers, press and trade will gather for the remarkable “Passionate about Pinot Noir Summit.” Held at Fort Mason in San Francisco, an extraordinary array of palates will gather to assess “the best of the best,” from the 6th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout finals held on January 16, 2008.

The 6th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout included Pinots from around the globe, including France, Italy, Australia (including Tasmania), and New Zealand. Stateside, California and Oregon dominate the wine submissions; however, Pinots have also come in from Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Unique aspects of the PN Shootout:

• The most comprehensive and focused tasting of Pinot Noir in the US, utilizing an incredibly diverse panel of experts. 
• Just 32 wines are tasted by the experts per day (four flights of eight wines each), allowing the judges to be completely immersed, focused and fair to the wines. 
• There’s no palate fatigue as a factor. 
• The wines are tasted completely blind without reference to appellation, vintage or price.

The Summit will carry the theme through as above allowing the attendees to taste the wines blind and compare their findings to the panel’s at The Final Showdown.

• The Pinot Noir Shootout is the only competition in which the judges’ conclusions are put to the test by an unbiased panel of wine lovers.

The Pinot Noir Shootout continues to explore and assess the reactions and preferences of women versus men, in regards to Pinot Noir. This year, descriptors and scores of the female and male panelists will be denoted, as well as the reactions of the Pinot Noir Summit attendees, in an attempt to discover whether women and men prefer different wine styles.

Details:

Who: Affairs of the Vine, International Wine Review, Wineworks
What: The Pinot Noir Summit
When: Sunday, March 2, 2008 ~ Noon to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Golden Gate Room, Fort Mason, San Francisco CA

Features: 

• 40 top-rated Pinot Noirs in a blind tasting,
• Enjoy Pinot Noir Workshops conducted by expert winemakers, viticulturists and wine educators
• Pinot Noir Shootout Ceremony
• Reception featuring top Pinot Noir winemakers showcasing their wines with specially paired hors d’oeuvre
• Meet and taste with Top Pinot Noir Winemakers

We do not disclose the wines that will be tasted in the blind tasting...that would ruin the fun and the challenge.

Here is a partial list of the wineries that will join us for the Wine Reception.  New wineries being added daily.

Adobe Road Winery	Amity Vineyards
Ardiri Wine	Bianchi
Bianchi	Broadbent Selections
Canihan Family Cellars	Cima Collina
Claiborne & Churchill Vintners	Clouds Rest Vineyards
David Bruce Winery	Don Sebastiani & Sons
Gryphon Wines	Hahn Estates
Handley Cellars	Heart O' The Mountain
Kenneth Volk Vineyards	Laetitia Vineyards
Longboard Vineyards	Mahoney Vineyards
Manzoni Estate Vineyard	Mark West Winery
Phillips Hill Estates	RN Estate Vineyard & Winery
San Saba Vineyards	Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard
Savannah Chanelle Vineyards	Signorello Vineyards
Sonoma Coast Vineyards	Stephen's Cellar
Three Sticks	TR Elliott
TR Elliott	Trinitas Cellars
Twin Oak Cellars	Vision Cellars
Willowbrook Cellars

AND MORE...

Each attendee may attend two educational workshops.

Activities:

Noon - 2:30 PM
Pinot Noir Shootout - The Final Showdown: Pinot Noir lovers will have the opportunity to taste 40 of the top-rated wines from 6th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout in a blind tasting at the Pinot Noir Summit at Fort Mason. Guests will pit their palates against the expert panel. Each attendee will taste the wines and rate their preferences. Scores will be tallied and compared with the findings of our panel.

2:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Pinot Noir Workshops -   Guests may attend two workshops. They may choose from the following:

1. Here Come the Clones ~ Moderator: Christopher Sawyer; National Wine Writer, Sommelier: Carneros Bistro at the Lodge at Sonoma, Kristen Barnhisel, Co-winemaker, Handley Cellars and Ken Foster, Winemaker, Mahoney Vineyards will discuss Pinot Noir Clonal Selection. The panel will identify the attributes of different Pinot Noir clones and taste examples of each clonal selection.
2. Analyzing the Ageability of a Young Pinot Noir ~ Moderator: R. Gallyot; Steve Goldman, Stephens Cellar; Elly Hartshorn, Laetitia Vineyard & Winery; Steve Heimoff, Wine Critic and Author; and Mark Weiner, Twin Oaks Cellars
3. Discover the Excellence of New Zealand Pinot Noir ~ Moderator: Sid Sall, Wine Director, Great Chefs of Marin; Ann Feely, Broadbent Selections; Jennifer Y. Hong, TGIC Importers, Inc.; Art Nieto, Epic Wines
4. A Question of Style ~ Winemaker panel will discuss their "style" taste the unique differences. ~ Moderator: Martin Reyes, C.W.E., Wine Buyer, St. Helena Wine Center; Ted Elliott, Proprietor, TR Elliott; Joe Otos, Winemaker, Willowbrook Cellars
5. Discovering New Stars ~ An introduction and tasting of wines from young wineries. ~ Moderator: Rusty Gaffney, Prince of Pinot, Pinotfile; Roger Nicolas, RN Estate, Owner/Winemaker; Tracey L. Bledsoe, Assistant Winemaker/Enologist Three Sticks Wines; Shaun and Gerald Bybee, Owners B Vineyards & Habitat; Jamie Kutch, Owner Kutch Wines
6. Location, Location, Location ~ An exploration of appellation. ~ Moderator: Alan Goldfarb, Regional Correspondent, Appellation America; Franc Dusak, Winemaker, Adobe Road Winery; Jonathan O'Bergin, Owner/Winemaker Gryphon Wines; Sabrine M. Rodems, Winemaker, San Saba Vineyards
7. Discover the Velvet ~ A Vertical Tasting of Pinot Noir: John Saemann, Owner, Clouds Rest Vineyards; Ken Volk, Owner, Kenneth Volk Vineyards
8. How Is Wine Judged? ~ Learn the secrets and process of professional wine judging from a panel of experts as you taste three distinct wines. ~ Moderator: Tom Merle, Principal, Winery Direct Services; Kathe Morris, Wine Educator, Over a Barrel Wines; Paul Machester, Vintage 59 Imports; Scott Clemens, Epicurean Traveler

5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Pinot Noir Reception, Silent Auction and Awards Ceremony: Final results of the 6th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout & Summit will be announced at 7:00 PM. Winners will be unveiled at the reception featuring top Pinot winemakers showcasing their wines with specially paired hors d'oeuvre.

The Pinot Noir Summit Reception is the culmination of the 6th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout & Summit.

Silent Auction to benefit ALS. Affairs of the Vine, International Wine Review and Wineworks are teaming up with the Muscular Dystrophy Association to raise awareness and funding for ALS, (Lou Gehrig's Disease). A percentage of ticket sales and proceeds from the silent auction will benefit the ALS Division of MDA.

Complete results of the 6th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout will be posted, no later than March 25, 2008.

The final results will be announced at The Pinot Noir Summit at 7 PM on March 2, 2008 and the winners will be unveiled.

Attendance for the Pinot Noir Summit is limited to 200 lucky Pinot Noir Lovers.

Click here to attend the Pinot Noir Summit

Pinot Noir Summit $135 per person

Click here to attend the Reception Only

Pinot Noir Reception $75.00 per person