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Oregon Wine Tasting Notes
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2006 King Estate Oregon Pinot Gris $16 Score: 96.0 It's usual to describe and rate a wine by its aromas and flavors (which, in this case, call to mind orange blossom and white peach with a citrus edge), but what I love about this wine is its texture, its delicacy, and its minerality. It's a lovely wine -- light bodied, subtle, silky, persistent. As good as Oregon Pinot Noirs can be, Pinot Gris is Oregon's best wine. |
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2006, Willamette Valley Vineyards Willamette Valley, Oregon, Pinot Gris $15 Score: 94.0 This is as close to an Alsatian style Pinot Gris as I've ever come across in the New World, and it's glorious. For the technically minded, it's a blend of 91% Pinot Gris, 7% Pinot Blanc and 1% Muscat (all fermented and aged sur lees in stainless), and 1% Auxerrois (fermented in one-year-old French oak). For those of you only concerned with flavor, you'll be well-rewarded with this superbly balanced, aromatic Pinot Gris. It displays bright honeydew and Bosc pear fruit, with minerality on the mid-palate and a subtle herbal note that's typical of the variety. It's silky, with crisp acidity and a lingering spicy finish. A great value and a tonic to those who are tired of fat Chardonnays and thin Pinot Grigios. |
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2004 Gypsy Dancer A&G Estate Vineyard Dundee Hills Oregon Pinot Noir $60 Score: 90.0 A mere 745 six-bottle cases produced, but you'll be well-rewarded if you can find it. This is what we look for in a classic Pinot. It serves up a cherry and violet aroma with a touch of damp earth that follows through to the palate with the addition of dark chocolate. Complex, well-balanced, enjoyable now and likely to age gracefully over the next decade. |
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2003 Archery Summit Arcus Estate Willamette Valley Oregon Pinot Noir $75 Score: 87.0 If money is no object, Archery Summit is producing some stylistically original Pinots that will surprise and satisfy most Pinot lovers. They're denser and chewier than other Pinots, a kind of Pinot in Syrah clothing. Were you to taste this wine double blind, the black cherry and cola flavors of the 2003 Arcus Estate might tip you off to the varietal, but the weight and tannins would fool you, as would the warmth in the finish. To its credit it has a complex flavor profile, with the black cherry-cola aromas giving way to blackberry, dark chocolate and cherry liqueur on the palate. The tannins and the warm chewy finish make it anomolous in the world of Pinot Noir. It demands 5 to 9 years (2001 - 2015) further aging to coax out the finer points. |
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2002 Archery Summit Archery Summit Estate Oregon Pinot Noir $150 Score: 94.0 Archery Summit Pinots are more extracted than most, so the wines are distinctly masculine. This version is more complex than most Pinots, showing boysenberry, black cherry, cola and smoke aromas. On the palate you can add some mocha. The tannin is on the high side for a Pinot, so expect to cellar this wine for 7 to 10 years to get the most out of it. Only 580 six-bottle cases were produced. |
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2003 Archery Summit Red Hills Estate Willamette Valley Oregon Pinot Noir $75 Score: 89.0 The structure and tannins are closer to Merlot (more weight), but the flavor profile is all Oregon Pinot Noir - cherry cola - and the nuances and complexity are there, but it's slightly disjointed and smothered by the tannin. Good now, but it should be much better in 2011. |
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1998 Archery Summit Red Hills Estate Oregon Pinot Noir Score: 90.0 "Seductive, aromatic, perfumy nose of marischino cherries, cola and cinnamon that follows through to the tart palate. Firm tannin shortens the fruit and spice finish. When the tannin resolves, given about 7 more years in the bottle, this will be a formidable Pinot Noir." |
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1999 Amity Vineyards Oregon Dry Riesling $9.50 Score: 90.0 "Clean, crisp, dry with scintillating mineral notes on the palate, tart limey fruit and good length. A perfect match for shellfish or chicken breast. " |
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1999 Amity Vineyards "Eco Wine, Organic Grapes, Sulfite Free" Cattrall Brothers Vineyards Oregon Pinot Noir $14.00 Score: 92.0 "A scent of smoke, mushroom, fresh cherry and flowers. Nicely balanced with light tannin and smooth texture, and a long fruit and mineral finish. More angular and stylistically different from is more expensive stablemate, but no less impressive." |
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1998 Archery Summit Estate Arcus Estate Oregon Pinot Noir $65.00 Score: 96.0 "Heavenly. An elegant, self-assured wine that makes you sit up and take notice. Superbly balanced and maintaining a high level of intensity from the nose through the finish, it displays classic violet and sweet cherry character, with layers of black pepper, cinnamon and minerals, perfectly integrated oak and a velvety texture.Why drink Burgundy when you can drink the best?" |
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1997 Archery Summit Archery Summit Estate Oregon Pinot Noir $50.00 Score: 88.0 "Cola and cherry character with a hint of violets, on the palate it starts as silky and finishes with a bit of astringency. Though well-balanced its not as impressive as previous vintages. Nonetheless, it has excellent varietal definition and has the ability to age gracefully another 5 to 7 years." |
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1997 Archery Summit Red Hills Estate Oregon Pinot Noir $65.00 Score: 89.0 "A seriously delicious Pinot, the Red Hills Estate has a nose redolent of jammy fruit (cherry, strawberry) with subtle nutmeg and cinnamon notes, while on the palate its lean and elegant, with light tannin and tart acidity that carries through the finish. Good now, the texture will soften and the flavors broaden with three to five years in the bottle. An excellent choice for smoked salmon." |
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1998 Archery Summit Vireton Oregon "Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio 74%, 14% Chard, 12% Pinot Blanc. " Score: 90.0 "Super fruity peach with threshold residual sugar, vanilla, a hint of tarragon, medium body, smooth oily texure, and lingering fruity finish. Extremely attractive as an aperitif, it would pair especially well with ceviche, vichysoise, and Coquilles St. Jacques." |