Dundee Hills

Drouhin has been making wines in Oregon for a long time now and they really make some excellent wines.  This is their basic version.  Medium ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is great with sour cherries, cherries, slight sandalwood, slight cranberries and slight coffee.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  It's classic Oregon in style.  Flavors of cherries, sour cherries, cranberries, spice and slight char.  Great balance.  Long finish.  Still on the young side, this should add complexity with age.  Its drinks great on its own and better with f

This winery has recently shut its doors, but there is still wine in the market.  The wine was brought up in a combination of used French oak and steel.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has nice minerality along with a touch of Meyer Lemon and pears.  Slightly oily texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, slight lemons along with almonds.  Slightly bitter note on the finish.  This wine has shed its youth but is still drinking well.  Drink over the next year or two.  Nice on its own, this will work well with Thai food.  

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.

Not a great vintage for Oregon Pinot Noir, Thomas handled the vintage deftly.  This one is in a nice spot right now.  Getting close to peak but still some youthfulness.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight sour cherries, slight nutmeg, and a hint of earthiness.  Medium to full bodied.  Lovely sinewy texture.  On the palate, nice cherry and sour cherry fruit with underlying spice.  Good backbone of acidity.  Plenty of depth and complexity.  Long finish.  No hurry on this, it should go another ten years based on this bottle.  It doesn't seem like it wil

From the Burgundy producers now long established winery in Oregon.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is dusty with cherries.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black cherries with some cherries and slight earthiness underneath.  Nice finish.  This is a solid drinking Pinot that is still young and will improve.  Hold for another five years and drink for ten after that.  Brown sugar, Mustard glazed ham would be a nice match.  

This is from the famed Burgundy producer's Oregon outpost.  This seems to be more full throttle than prior vintages but will no doubt calm down with some age.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has fresh cherries, black cherries and slight pomegranate.  There is also a bit of spice and a hint of tea.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this has a lot of cherries, some black cherries with a hint of underlying forest floor.  Delicious.  Light tannins.  This needs another three to five years to get closer to peak, and should drink well for ten to fifteen more after tha

From the idiosyncratic wine maker John Thomas.  While 2008 is considered a great vintage in the Willamette Valley, it was ripe and not really up John's wheelhouse, yet, he adapted and made a wine consistent with his style and taking what the vintage offered.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, slight Kirsch and just a hint of spice.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, big cherry fruit with underlying spice.  13.5% abv.  There are also firm tannins, not something you get much with Pinot Noir.  It was be interesting to let the tannins resolve and there is pl

This is in a good place right now and drinking well.   Deep ruby in color.  The nose is tight at first but with air shows cherries, sour cherries and an underlying earthiness.  Good balance.  Lively acidity.  On the palate, the sour cherries dominate but the underlying earthiness is still present.  A nice complexity as the layers unwind in the glass.  Seems very clearly of Oregon.  Long finish.  This will go well with fowl dishes.  No hurry, it should easily do another decade and closer to two.