Oregon

• Columbia Gorge
• Dundee Hills
• McMinnville
• Willamette

This is a barrel selection of the best barrels of various vineyards and bottle exclusively in 375ml bottles.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, sour cherries, slight nutmeg and slight char.  Medium bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, sour cherries, some cherries with a lovely texture.  Good finish.  This could use another five to ten years of cellaring but is enjoyable now.  Drink over the next fifteen years.  Nice on its own, this would work well with grilled chicken breast.  

Bought on release at the winery.  This bottle has held up quite well and while mature, did not seem like a 24 year old Oregon Pinot.  Ruby in color with no browning and a bit of purple-ish at the core.  The nose features cherries, sour cherries, some earthy funk and a bit of char.  Medium to full bodied.  Tannins are there but wispy.  On the palate, this is drinking well.  Cherries and some dried cherries with earthiness.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  Drinking well but still, I wouldn't sit on these for too much longer.  Good on its own but better with food.  This would be perfect with gril

This unique blend comes from Oregon.  It is 38% Muller-Thurgau, 28% Gewurztraminer, 22% Riesling and 14% Pinot Gris.  Best guess, this is a blend of wine available after bottling various grapes and vineyards.  This was purchased at a restaurant.  Green gold in color.  Light bodied.  The palate has a varietal complexity.  Easy drinking.  Nice value.  A good choice with lighter foods and it went well with vegetarian pizza options.  

Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has  cherries, spice and a slight cola note.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is a bit bigger and more intense (in a good way) than I might have expected for this wine.  Black cherries, sour cherries, with some tobacco/forest floor.  There is some depth but it will take some cellaring to unwind the complexity.  Long finish.  Hold for another five to eight years and drink for ten to fifteen after that.  The classic pairing would be Salmon. Plenty of upside on the score as it matures.   

For those who like a bit more "Borgundian" style of Oregon Pinot Noir, Thomas is a great choice.  Also, 2008 was a ripe vintage and I am reminded once again, the "great" vintages in Oregon are not the ones where J.

Great showing for this bottle.  It is in a perfect place right now.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, sandalwood, slight perfumed note and some earthiness.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, lots of fresh cherries, slight dried cherries and just a bit of black cherries.  Some earthy funk as it opens.  Long finish.  This is drinking great and close to or at peak.  Drink over the next ten years.  Great on its own, but better with food.  A great wine with Salmon I should think.

This is drinking well and seems fully mature.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is lovely with cherries, slight dark cherries, spice and hints of forest floor.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, layers of fruit and earth.  Complex.  Cherries and dried cherries with a hint of forest floor.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own, but better with food.  It worked well with Thai vegetarian food.  Drink over the next five years before it starts sliding downward.  

Another in a line of Excellent Pinot Noirs from this producer.  Stylistically, these tend to be big for Oregon, but would be on the smaller size for California (if that make sense).  Garnet in color with some purple hues, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, sour cherries, hay and slight earthiness.  Light tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, lots of sour cherries with some cherries with underlying char and a hint of earthiness.  Long finish.  This is, of course, very young but already drinking well.  It would be better to cellar for ten years, and then drink over the next f

Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is light with cherry juice, slight rhubarb and slighter sour cherries.  Light to medium bodied.  No tannins.  On the palate, light red fruit.  Easy.  Moderate finish.  This is drinking well and should be drunk over the next couple of years.  It will work better but needs lighter foods.

Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  Black cherries, some cassis, a bit of black pepper, and a dried floral note.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins. Nice mouthfeel.  On the palate, black cherries and cherries with spice and a slight earthiness.  Moderate acidity.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well and should continue for another seven to ten years.  Nice on its own, this also works well with food.  Chicken paprikash would be a good match.