11 Mar Please The Palate Pick of the Week: World of Pinot Noir 2023

There are many wine events throughout the year and I love attending them all. But one event I look forward to every year is World of Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara. It was one of the very first events that I went to when I first entered the wine industry. I attended my first World of Pinot Noir in 2004 when it was in Shell Beach. World of Pinot Noir then moved to the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara and I have been attending every year since 2015 (except for 2021 due to Covid). This past weekend, the first weekend in March, was the 22nd annual World of Pinot Noir and it brought together Pinot Noir winemakers from around the world and Pinot Noir lovers. Seeing so many winemakers and tasting so many beautiful wines, it is no doubt why World of Pinot Noir is yet again the Please The Palate pick of the week. The setting of World of Pinot Noir is magical. The Ritz Carlton Bacara Resort is located on the coast, just north of the city of Santa Barbara. While not all of the events overlook the ocean, when you are sipping wine with a view like this, it is hard not to take a deep breath and smile.

Seminars

The weekend is filled with seminars. It is always fun to learn about different producers or regions of Pinot Noir. This year I attended two seminars. One seminar featured Wine Enthusiast’s Winemaker of the Year Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton and Wine & Spirit’s Top 100 Winery Giant Steps as they explored the parallels between Sta. Rita Hills in California and the Yarra Valley in southern Australia. This seminar was moderated by Ray Isle Executive Wine Editor of Food & Wine magazine. The other seminar was entitled Blurring Boundaries: Burgundy and the New World. Led by David Glancy of the San Francisco Wine School, there were six producers (one from New Zealand, three from Oregon, and two from Sonoma) who shared their “New World” wines alongside a French counterpart while they shared their story of how the two wineries are connected. Stay tuned for my story about this seminar in The Tasting Panel Magazine.

LUNCHES

Each day, after the seminars, there are lunches. On the first day, I attended a walk around lunch with the producers of the Sta. Rita Hills. It was such a joy to walk around and visit with so many friends and taste their wines. On the second day, I attended a seated lunch with producers from the Willamette Valley.

Grand Tasting

There were Grand Tastings on both days but different wineries poured each day. So, there were a lot to taste, and lots of friendly faces to say hello.

Dinners

And in the evenings, there were dinners. This year I attended one dinner. It was the dinner in memory of visionary winemaker Josh Jensen of Calera Winery who we lost in 2022. In 2016, I attended a dinner honoring Josh and now, in 2023, it was a dinner in his memory. Josh Jenson was pivotal in making Pinot Noir one of the great wines in California. He founded Calera in 1975 and in 1990 Mt Harlan (where Calera is located) received its own AVA. The dinner was hosted by Calera winemaker Mike Waller who wore one of Josh’s Versace jackets (he was known for his designer jackets) and shared stories as we enjoyed a variety of Calera Wines, including one from 1994 and one from 1985. World of Pinot Noir never disappoints and I am already looking forward to next year’s event.