Last Pinot Noir in Temecula Wins Award

Temecula’s only Pinot Noir took the gold medal at the ninth-annual Pinot Noir Summit.

Woodworth Vineyards bottled the wine in 2008. It scored 93 and 94 from judges who tasted more than 360 wines from the U.S., France, Italy, Austrailia and New Zealand, according to an announcement.

“We’re obviously ecstatic that a panel of judges including sommeliers, wine makers, wine writers, chefs and wine lovers, determined that our Pinot was among the best,” said the winery’s owner, Marlene Woodworth, in an emailed statement. “It was even more exciting that we won while competing against traditional Pinot Noir strongholds such as Carneros in Napa, Santa Barbara and Russian River.”

The area is generally too hot to grow Pinot Noir, but Woodworth has an unusually cool average temperature for the region. The winery made only 140 cases of the wine, according to the announcement.

Woodworth’s Pinot Noir stood out from the rest with its notes of bright cherry and subtle spice with soft tannins and a lingering smoky tobacco finish.

“In an unmistakable statement of preference, they embraced wines of elegance and varietal authenticity rather than burly Syrah-like Pinots, the muscular Pinot Noirs made popular by a few influential reviewers and their publications,” said Barbara Drady, Pinot Noir Summit organizer, in an announcement.

Marlene Woodworth and her husband, Gary, bought the 45-acre vineyard in 2000 and planted eight acres with grapevines. Three acres were devoted only to Pinot Noir. They couple grafted the Pinot vines onto Syrah, Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon root stock over the last five years, the announcement said.

The winery also makes Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, White Merlot – also known as Golden Maggie, a blend of Chardonnay and Muscat known as Sweet Sophie and a red blend called Black Dog.