2007 Cristom PINOT GRIS "Estate" (Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, OR)

This was a full-flavored yet nicely balanced Pinot Gris, a varietal which, particularly in Alsace, can in my view be too buttery and viscous for its own good.

Bright, pale gold with pewter highlights. Stony, buttered pears in the subtle nose. Vary soft, luscious texture but with a refreshing mouthfeel nonetheless. Rich, stony mineral-infused pear and peach pit flavors. Very long finish, with fairly good acidity. 88. Was $23.99 at Central Market.

Thanksgiving wine #1: 2007 Argyle PINOT NOIR (Willamette Valley, Oregon)

An incredibly fragrant Pinot Noir, but lacking just a bit of concentration on the palate.

Shockingly light ruby color. Very fragrant nose of sappy, earthy cherries, pomegranate, and smoky peat. Low-toned attack in the mouth, with dark, macerated cherries and scorched earthy, iodiney minerals. A bit thinner in the mid-palate than the extraordinary nose would lead one to believe. Fairly long, resiny, minerally finish. 90 for the nose, 87 for the palate. Was $29 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2006 Willakenzie Estate "Pierre Leon" PINOT NOIR (Willamette Valley, Oregon)

Too much oak, too little concentration. At this price, I want some depth of fruit.

Black ruby with garnet highlights. Lots of high quality, toasty sweet oak, with sweet, earthy, caramelly scents. Sniffing carefully you can also pick up a little ripe, sappy cherry juice too. Soft and loaded with oaky flavors, but not that much in the way of fruit concentration. Pretty good finish. 86. Was $35 at Richard's on Weslayan and Bissonnet.

2006 Ponzi PINOT NOIR "Tavola" (Willamette Valley, Oregon)

This was a very nice Pinot with lots of straightforward character. More of a weekday P.N. rather than one to save for a special occasion, but that's not a criticism!

Eye: Dark ruby color.

Nose: Very fragrant, with snappy yet sappy cherry fruit, lots of resiny minerals, and sweet cream scents.

Mouth: Soft and medium-bodied, it had good concentration and loads of bright minerally cherry fruit, and a fairly long, balanced finish. Not particularly complex, but very enjoyable.

Score: 87.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next two years.

Price/store: This was a gift, so I'm not sure where it was purchased, but a quick Google search indicates that most retailers sell it around $21 - $24, making it a pretty decent value in the Pinot Noir world.

Two great but very different Pinot Noirs

We had our friends -- at least I HOPE they're still our friends* -- the Finleys over last night for roast prime rib and Pinot Noir night. We enjoyed two tremendous but very very different renditions of the grape.


2004 Cristom "Louise Vineyard" Willamette Valley (Oregon) PINOT NOIR -- This relatively light-colored wine was unbelievably complex and fragrant, with earthy, smoky, minerally sappy cherry flavors, full body, and a long soft finish. (Robert Finley said something something about eating chocolate-dipped cherries in a log-cabin hunting lodge sitting in front of a peat fire). If I were scoring, this would have been in the 92-95 range. For drinking over the next year.







2002 Daniel Bocquenet ECHEZEAUX (Burgundy, France) -- This wine was densely colored and very tightly-wound, with substantial structure for ageing. The nose developed and opened slowly over time, initially revealing a prominent menthol/eucalyptus component that stayed with the wine throughout the evening. But as it sat, tight fruity aromas of hard plum and cherry candy, and well as smoky/minerally scents emerged. Nice acid balance as well, which, together with the plentiful tannic structure, indicated to me that this wine needs (yes, needs) 5 more years at least in a cool cellar. I probably would have scored this somewhere in the 90+ to 91+ range.



* I say "hope" because I was in full argumentative mode the latter half of the dinner, which, um, detracted from the usual level of collegiality.

2006 A to Z Oregon PINOT NOIR

This was disappointing in view of the successful 2005 this winery produced.

Garnet color. Muted nose, giving up only vague whiffs of hard cherry candy and metallic minerals. Soft and light, with tart cherry fruit and a lean, acidic finish. 78. I think this was around $15.

2005 WillaKenzie Estate PINOT GRIS (Willamette Valley, Oregon)

This was a really good white -- loaded with flavor. A white wine acting like a red wine.

Light gold color. Beautiful and intense nose -- melted butter, pear, spice, and stony minerals. Rich and balanced in the mouth, with good weight and an excellent texture. Mineral and fruit (pear/peach/grape) flavors explode on entry and then taper into a lengthy pure pear finish that goes on and on. Superb white. 90. Was about $15 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2005 A to Z Oregon PINOT NOIR

Now here's a very nice French-styled Pinot Noir. Medium garnet/ruby. Delicate nose of spicy cherries, minerals, earth, and birch beer. Soft, silky, and dry in the mouth, with a feminine style and lengthy, light-bodied flavors. No jammy-ness at all. In fact, it's almost on the austere side. Like a very good village wine from Beaune or Volnay. 87. $17.99 at Central Market.

2003 A to Z "OREGON CLARET"

A Bordeaux varietal blend, though it doesn't say anywhere on the label how much of what kind of grapes. Interestingly, it's from a state more known for its Burgundy and Alsace varietals (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris).

Medium ruby/garnet color. Interesting nose of herbal cherries, raspberry jam, and some pencil lead. Flavors of cassis and dusty baker's chocolate. Not a blockbuster, but everything in nice balance. Very Bordeaux-like . . . reminds me of a good Cru Bourgeois from the middle Medoc (Moulis or Listrac). Would go very well with grilled or roasted lamb. 87. Will hold a year or two. Was about $14 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.