2012 Oregon Pinot Noir All-Americans Second Team

2010 Andrew Rich Verbatim Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

13.5% alc., 833 , $30. Winemaker Rich’s blend that best captures the vintage and the expression of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Sourced from Ribbon Ridge, La Colina, and Momtazi Family vineyards. Aged 15 months in French oak barrels. · Moderately light reddish-purple color in the glass. Immediately appealing upon opening the bottle with fresh red cherry and berry aromas accented with notes of spice and sandalwood. Dances lightly on the palate, and delivers plenty of Pinot flavor. Impeccably balanced with supple tannins, finishing with a cherry focus that lingers. A lovely portrait of the 2010 Willamette Valley vintage.

2009 Anne Amie Vineyards Prismé Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir Blanc

14.1% alc., pH 3.31, TA 0.59, 404 cases, $45, screw cap. Released May 2012. Sourced from Anne Amie Estate and Rainbow Ridge vineyards. Pommard and Dijon 115 clones. Aged 18 months in 25% new, 25% 1 year-old, and 50% neutral French oak barrels. Free run juice with no skin contact, entirely barrel fermented, lees stirred, and aged on the lees in oak barrels for 18 months. · Pale yellow color in the glass. Very aromatic with vivid scents of crème brulée, golden apples, buttered brioche, honeysuckle and baked pear. Substantial and delicious with full-bodied flavors of pear, white peach, golden apple, citrus, nutmeg and brown butter persisting on the generous and lengthy finish. Reminds one of Chardonnay but different. Creamy mouth feel with good underlying acidity. A remarkable wine that confirms the saying that Pinot Noir is a white wine masquerading as a red wine. Very special and quite unique.

2010 Carabella Estate Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir

13.5% alc., 550 cases, $37. 6 blocks including Pommard, Wädenswil, and Dijon clones. Each block fermented separately. · Moderately light reddish-purple hue in the glass. The nose wows you with bright, perfectly ripe cherries and dark berries. Very polished and elegant in style, with delicious cherry and strawberry flavors accented with complimentary spice, cola and oak. A high class offering with beautiful balance that reeks of pinotosity. Still great the next day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle. Invites meditation.

2009 Cornerstone Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

13.9% alc., 400 cases, $50. · Moderately light reddish-purple color in the glass. Nicely perfumed with aromas of black cherries and spice. Delicious medium weighted flavors of blueberries, black cherries and black raspberries with an emphasis on cherry. Riffs of cola and spice add interest. Juicy with restrained, dusty tannins, well-honed acidity and the slightest complimentary oak in the background. The delicious flavors are slightly ahead of the aromas at this stage. A beautiful wine that shows impeccable balance for the cellar but can be thoroughly enjoyed now.

2002 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Louise Drouhin Family Estate Dundee Hills Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

14.1% alc.. · Moderately dark reddish-purple color in the glass. Complex and beguiling with aromas that dance in and out of the glass including black cherries, fennel, balsam and Herbs de Provence. Soft and smooth on the palate with discreetly concentrated flavors of dark red cherries and berries, tea and fresh herbs. The tannins are refined and supple, and the sensuous mouth feel is a real delight. The finish is extraordinary long with fruit flavors lingering for what seems like a minute. Still beautiful the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle. An exceptional, suave wine that really grabs your attention. Chambolle in the USA.

2008 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Dundee Hills Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., $65. The winery’s flagship wine sourced from estate vineyards in the Dundee Hills and Eola-Amity Hills. First vintage was in 1990. A blend of 40% Pommard, 51% Dijon, and 9% Wädenswil clones sourced primarily from estate vineyards grown in the Dundee Hills (70%) and Eola Hills (30%). Aged 17 months in 72% new French oak barrels. · Medium reddish-purple color in the glass. Upon opening, smoky oak and campfire aromas and flavors dominate the fruit. Tasted later in the day from an opened bottle, the wine had blossomed in an extraordinary fashion, with oak receding to the background as a pleasing mocha note, and luscious black cherry and black raspberry fruit marching to the forefront to saturate the mid palate with flavor. A satiny mouth feel leads to a generous, long, and dry finish. I suggest you decant this wine if opened now, or patiently cellar to allow the oak and tannins to further integrate. A marvelous assembly of Pinot Noir clones that will please any Pinot aficionado.

2010 Luminous Hills Lux Estate Grown Yamhill-Carlton Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

13.5% alc., 112 cases, $35. Released February 15, 2012. Exclusively Pommard and 777 that combines dark fruited notes from the Pommard on lower elevation sedimentary soil coupled with the intense redder fruits of the 777 on the upper elevation Jory soil. The two clones were co-fermented. Aged in 23% new French oak barrels. · Moderately light reddish-purple color in the glass. Hi-tone and pure aromas of black cherries and black raspberries. Delicious mid palate fruit offering a mélange of dark red and black berries, stone fruits and black grapes. Supple tannins make for easy drinking now. Impeccable balance and very polished. Hard to top the regular Estate Grown bottling, but this one does with slightly more flavor and length. Crazy good at a modest price.

2010 Owen Roe The Kilmore Yamhill-Carlton District Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

13.0% alc., 988 cases, $42. Sourced from Lennè and Merriman vineyards. Aged in 33% neutral, 39% 2-year and 28% 1-year French oak barrels. Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon Clones. · Medium reddish-purple color in the glass. Subdued but very pleasing aromas of black cherries, black raspberries, plum and violets. Hits the mid palate with enormous tenacity, offering delicious black raspberry, marionberry, cola and vanilla cream flavors which linger on the spiced, fruit-scented finish. Very soft and alluring in the mouth. Plenty of Pinot singing in this sensational wine that is ready to drink now.

2010 Roots Saffron Fields Vineyard Yamhill-Carlton Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

13.5% alc., 74 cases, $35. · Evocative perfume of black cherry pie glaze with hints of oak and slate. Delicious, deeply flavored essence of perfectly ripe dark cherries nicely spiced with a complimentary note of oak-driven mocha. Striking flavor on entry, expanding in waves on the palate, and finishing with a taunting, memorable intensity. Still great two days later from a previously opened and re-corked bottle when I finished the bottle with dinner. Exceptional class.

2009 Scott Paul La Paulée Dundee Hills Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

13.1% alc., $32, screw cap. Finest lots of the vintage from the winery’s blocks of Maresh Vineyard. · Moderately light deep red color in the glass. Lovely perfume of dark cherries, herbs and mocha java. Plenty of body and weight with multiple layers of fruit that really jump out. Rich flavors of fresh dark cherries, raspberry coulis, mocha and sandalwood with gossamer tannins, bright acidity and easy drink ability. Could use a little more time in the cellar to shed its oak sheen but very hard to resist now. Pick any superlative you want.

2010 Soter Vineyards Mineral Springs Ranch Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

13.4% alc., $50. Exclusively from the estate vineyard planted to 20 acres of Pinot Noir just east of the town of Carlton. 100% de-stemmed, 3-4 day cold soak, 7-10 day extended maceration, aged 12-15 months in 33% new French oak and an additional 6 months in bottle before release. · Moderately light reddish-purple color in the glass. Penetrating and uplifting nose offering aromas of Bing cherries and spice. Rich attack of delicious black cherry, plum and boysenberry fruits, impressing the mid palate and finishing long and generous. Seamless, soft and silky with well-mannered tannins. Highly enjoyable now but has the balance to evolve over many years. A remarkably consistent bottling in every vintage that you can bank on.