2006 Le Cadeau Diversité Wilamette Valley Pinot Noir

Don't know when or where I got this bottle, but the current vintages sell for S47 direct from the winery.

The nose is all chocolate covered cherries and coffee beans.

Chocolate. Cherry. Blackberry. Black, ultra ripe blueberry. A bit of an herbal quality. Medium body, but not much in terms of tannin or wood really.

Plum, black cherry, and just a hint of cola on the finish - it lingers for quite some time. There's something else going on mostly on the finish but also mid-palate that reminds me a bit of fruit roll up.

I don't know. After finding out the price, I felt compelled to reconsider this one, but I have to call it meh. Well made, not explicitly flawed, just meh.

Score: 85

2007 Argyle Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

The local wine shop has this $25, but I know it can be found for considerably less if you shop around.

A bit of raspberry on the nose.

Light, very light, for a red wine. Almost a dark pink - I've seen (albeit, unusual) roses darker than this. Cherry and raspberry is it with a bit of green pepper. Great acid, rather tart, and not a hint of sugar.

More cherry and a bit of grape stem on the finish.

This is a nice light bodied wine, thin, tart, but great for food. I liked this one, but it just hit me as being a tad too simple - if found at the $13 range I'd say it's worth a shot, but at $20ish all I can do is say pass.

Score: 85

2007 Benton Lane Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

So, as you will notice, posting will be slightly less frequent - the goal is less wine, but better wine. Getting hit with an unexpected bill convinced me to do the only logical thing one should do - drink.

A very nice nose - chocolate, cola, cherry, blueberry,

Interesting - chocolate (maybe carob?), barnyard (maybe that's the carob hint on the chocolate), tobacco, cherry, black pepper, a decent amount of earth, and just a touch of green, sort of grape stemmy, almost minty kinda thing. The tannins are integrated very well - this is a nice, easy drinking, bottle to be sure. Another wine I refer to as dangerous since you can easily down it quickly and dig it, but a bit of time, a bit of air, and more than a bit of contemplation will pay off.

A reasonably lengthy finish of barnyard, cherry, and some mild menthol notes.

I'm quite digging this one and, quite frankly, am being forced to reassess my view of New World Pinot Noir. At $26 from the winery, this isn't a bargain, but it's more or less right. Don't get me wrong, I wish it was cheaper, but realistically speaking, if you want decent PN you gotta pretend you're looking for love - which means you gotta pay.

Score: 90

2005 A to Z Night & Day

Another from the discount rack. At six bucks - down from fourteen - I was game.

A blackberry sorta nose.

Black fruit - plum, blackberry, blueberry, cherry - rather tasty and not at all over the hill. A little bit of Twizzler and some other various berry candy flavors. Very nice acidic balance, not a lot of tannin, but it all does come together. It's not complex by any means, but the flavor profile works for me big time.

The finish lingers with more jam and bit of spice.

A nice quaff - simple but tasty - perfect for burgers, steaks, ribs - anything on the grill.

Wine: 7
Value: Sure

2003 Owen Roe Sinister Hand

I grabbed the second to the last bottle of this at the wine shop on clearance for $14 – normally this goes for over $25 if I remember correctly. The labels appear to have been damaged which may be why it was marked down.

Blackberry and oak on the nose – somewhat tight.

This definitely needs an hour – if not more – to open up. Rather smokey, quite of a bt of oak, barnyard, earthy, funky, spicy, herbal (anise, oregano, mint) with a bit of dark black fruit too – overripe blackberry and plum. A hell of a lot is going on in the glass.

Cherry and funky barnyard on the fnish

Why didn't I grab both bottles? Because I'm an idiot. A solid bottle all around in the $20s or below.

2005 A to Z Pinot Gris

A to Z has been a solid producer in my eyes so I grabbed this bottle at the local wine shop.

I seem to be getting olives on the nose of this one.

The palate brings orange and lemon zest, nicely acidic, some mineral notes, apple, and perhaps some unripe honeydew melon.

The finish brings some peach and slate.

This was about $12 on sale and it's certainly not bad...I have yet to try a Pinot Gris that wows me - this is fine for the varietal and recommendable.

2006 A to Z Oregon Rose

We've had some A to Z wines before...I really enjoyed their Pinot Noir we had a while back so I grabbed a bottle of this when I saw it for about $11.

Cherry and herbal notes on the nose.

Lots of acid on the palate, not a whole lot of sweetness - cherry, spice (cinnamon?), watermelon rind, and raspberry.

The finish lingers with lots of acid complimenting the herbal and raspberry notes.

A very nice rose in general and definitely a good one for the price.

2006 O'Reilly's Oregon Pinot Noir

We had this at a tasting a while back and enjoyed it thoroughly so I grabbed a bottle.

Strawberry, cola, and a bit of funk on the nose.

A nice bit of strawberry and raspberry, plus all sorts of wood, dirt, earth, barnyard and the like. Subtle, earthy, and overall a mild, yet deep, wine. A nice bit of acid would make this worth with almost any food but I would avoid serving it with anything too heavy. Personally, I think it stands wonderfully on its own.

The finish lingers for some time, notes of cherry and earth.

An outstanding subtle Pinot Noir and a bargain at the $17 pricetag. I would strongly recommend this one for someone looking for an elegant red wine.

2005 Argyle Pinot Noir

I picked this up for $17 at a local wine shop as I seem to recall reading good things about this producer.

Spice and earth on the nose, not much fruit.

A slight burn, a bit of earth, funk, anise, cherry, and chocolate.

The chocolate is a bit more pronounced on the finish but disappears quickly.

Perfectly acceptable though I can't help but think it's not really worth the pricetag...perhaps if I found it on sale for under $15.

2005 Silvan Range Oregon Early Muscat

We had this one at a tasting and snatched it right up at $12 for a 500 ml bottle.

The palate has peaches, pear, honeydew, orange blossom, and honey.

This is a semi-sparkling wine so the bubbles are very soft and mild...they disappear in the glass after around 20 seconds, but they are present on the palate and add a nice bit of very subtle texture which really pushes it to a higher level.

I get a bit of cantaloupe and muskmelon on the finish. Sweet and refreshing, not cloying or syrupy at all.

This is a phenomenal dessert wine....nice and smooth, not too sweet, lots of fruit, some nice floral notes, and overall strongly recommended. A wine I’d buy a case of if I had a cellar. Strongly recommended.

2005 Owen Roe Abbot’s Table

I picked this bottle up a while back for around $25. It’s a red blend with 10 different varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Blaufrankish, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Grenache, and Malbec.

Oak, cedar, alcohol, and black cherries on the nose.

The palate brings black fruit, cherries, lots of oak, a touch of spice, but not much else in terms of depth. Medium tannins but big bodied...I’d drink it again with a hearty stew of some sort.

The finish has a slight bite and some fading blueberry.

It’s alright but the more I drink these kitchen sink blends, the less I enjoy them. Even at a lower price I don’t think I’d revisit this one.

2005 Runaway Red Pinot Noir

A red label, a hammer and sickel, and a photo of Trotsky...oh yes, it’s Runaway Red. Even at $15, this label was too funny to pass up. Capitalizing on Communism? I should break out my Rage Against the Machine CDs (on Sony Records).

On the nose, while there is some fruit–I’m thinking boysenberry–it’s pretty much all must and earth...exactly what a Pinot Noir should be.

The palate shows us a light/medium bodied Pinot with smooth tannins. Some cherry, perhaps plum, and a fair amount of funk. It's more earthy than fruity, but extremely well balanced. This is an easy drinking wine and would have been excellent at Thanksgiving and can pair with I’d imagine almost anything.

I think I’m coming to terms with the fact that though I do enjoy the heavier reds, if I just want to sit and relax with a glass of wine, something like this is what I need. I’d cheerfully buy this one again.

N/V Sokol Blosser Evolution Lucky #9–10th edition

A blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Muller-Thurgau, Semillon, Muscat, Gewurtztraminer, and Sylvaner–-most “blends” consist of 2-4 varietals, so this one with nine is somewhat unusual. I got this one on sale for $11, but most of the time I see it around $15.

Good acid, a bit of sweetness but not overbearing, this is a nicely balanced wine. I’m going to guess most of the wine in this bottle is from Riesling. There’s just a hint of spice that must be coming from the Gewurtz, plenty of the typical green apple you get on a Riesling, a fair amount of peaches, a touch of apricot, a bit of the grapey taste you get from Muscat. Interestingly, I’m getting some grapefruit/tropical fruit that I at first said “it’s from the Sauvignon Blanc,” yet that varietal is not in the blend.

I’m not as familiar with the other varietals in this blend so I’m sure some of these qualities come from those as well.

Many would call this a “summer wine” and I tend to agree, it’s a good one to bring on a picnic and such. That being said, I believe the acid and touch of sweetness would’ve worked well at Thanksgiving dinner as well.

An excellent balance, a complex palate, a lingering fruity finish...this is an excellent wine and even at $15 would be worth buying again.

2004 A-Z Oregon Pinot Noir

I was in the mood for a Pinot Noir so I headed straight to the under $15 section and picked this one up just at the edge of price range at $14.99.

Not a whole lot on the nose.

Pepper, herbs, mint, eucalyptis, and earth on the palate with a bit of raspberry. If you like earthy Pinot Noirs this is for you. It's a fairly easy drinking wine, light bodied, and enjoyable by itself.

If you want to give an earthy Pinot Noir a shot, this is a good one to try, it's excellent and the price is right. If you prefer fruit bombs, this is not the one for you.