Passionate About Pinot?
Be a Wine Judge for a Day
Attend the 8th Annual
Pinot Noir Summit

On Saturday, February 27, 2010 consumers, press and trade will gather for the remarkable 8th Annual Passionate about Pinot Noir Summit at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center in San Rafael, California. An extraordinary array of palates will gather to assess "the best of the best," from the 8th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout.

The 8th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout included Pinots from around the globe, from 50 different appellations including Canada, Chile, France, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand. Stateside, California and Oregon dominate the wine submissions; however, Pinots also came in from Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington State.

• Unique Aspects of the Pinot Noir 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 Pinot Summit allows the attendees to taste the wines blind and compare their personal findings to those of 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. 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.

• 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.

1. When Pinot Sparkles... ~ Blanc de Noirs are sparkling wines made from black grapes, typically Pinot Noir. Taste some wonderful examples of these wines, explore how these wines are produced. The panel will discuss the process, appellations and food pairings.
   Moderator: Ellen Landis, Sommelier: Wine Director: Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn, Half Moon Bay, California
   Panelists: Steve Urberg, Winemaker, Gloria Ferrer; Tom Tiburzi, winemaker, Domaine Chandon; Kim Beto, Champagne Pommery


2. Food and Pinot Noir Pairing ~ An exploration of Pinot Noir pairings. What works with which style of Pinot Noir...taste for yourself.
   Moderator: Rick Bakas, Wine & Food Writer: Back to Bakas; Director of Social Media, St. Supery Winery
   Panelists: Debra Morris, General Manager, Mariposa Wine Company: Leon Glover, CEO/Winemaker, Lionheart Wines


3. Winemaking 101 ~ The challenges a winemaker faces from harvest through bottling. When are decisions made and how do you decide? Four winemakers discuss the "process" as each share a wine that has not been released as yet.
   Moderator:Mike Potashnik, Publisher, International Wine Review
   Panelists: Eric Luse, Owner/Winemaker, Eric Ross Winery; Patrick Melley, Owner/Winemaker, Russian Hill Winery; John Clark, Owner/Winemaker, Brophy Clark; Ken Volk, Owner/Director of Winemaking, Kenneth Volk Vineyards


4. Discovering New Stars ~ An introduction and tasting of wines from young wineries producing fabulous Pinot Noir.
   Moderator:C. Jason Mancebo, Wine Blogger, $20 Dollar Wine Blog
   Panelists: Mark Ray, Winemaker, Perception Wines; Bradley Brown, Owner/Winemaker, Big Basin Vineyards; Ken Post, Winemaker, Mariposa Wine Company


5. A Global Perspective on Pinot Noir ~ Yes, it's the same grape. Are the wines different? Find out as we taste wines from three different classic growing regions: Russian River Valley, New Zealand and Santa Cruz Mountains.
   Moderator: Sid Sall, Wine Director, Great Chefs of Marin
   Panelists:Ted Elliott, TR Elliott; Sal Godinez, Winemaker, Vine Hill Winery;


6. Sustainable? Organic? Does it matter? ~ What effect do vineyard practices have on the quality of the wine? A panel of winemakers and wine growers discuss this very controversial subject as they share wines produced from their vineyards. Moderator: Don Winkler, Editor, The International Wine Review
   Panelists: Paul Clifton, Winemaker, Hahn Family Wines; Rachel Ormes, Viticulturist, Vine Hill Winery; Ramona Nicholson, Proprietor and Vineyard Manager, Nicholson Ranch

6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Pinot Noir Reception
and
Awards Ceremony:
Winemakers, proprietors, and winery personnel will share their outstanding Pinot Noirs and a taste of other wines they produce at the 8th Annual Pinot Noir Summit. Discover the identity of the wines you tasted at the Pinot Noir Showdown. The final results will be announced at The Pinot Noir Summit at 8:00 PM on February 27, 2010 and the winners will be unveiled during a reception featuring top Pinot winemakers and winery owners showcasing their wines with specially paired hors d'oeuvres. 

Complete results of the 8th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout will be posted, no later than March 15, 2010.

Click here to attend the Pinot Noir Summit

Attendance is limited to 250 Pinot Noir lovers.
Pinot Noir Summit $100 per person

Click here to attend the Pinot Noir Reception & Awards Ceremony Only
$60 per person

A portion of each ticket purchased to the Pinot Noir Summit will be donated to Palm Drive Health Care Foundation in support of Palm Drive Hospital.
Palm Drive Hospital, located in Sebastopol, is in the heart of some of the best Pinot Noir in the world - the Russian River and the Sonoma Coast.

Links:
Palm Drive Health Care Foundation

Palm Drive Hospital