| | We spent the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend tasting around the Willamette Valley. Bergström They had an open house event going on, showcasing many of the 2013 Pinot's. - 2012 Bergström Chardonnay Old Stones - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Green apple, pear, citrus, and a touch of honey. Starts rich, but it's cut with a nice backbone of minerals and tart lemon. Crisp, with great acidity. (90 pts.)
- 2013 Bergström Pinot Noir Cumberland Reserve - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Sweet cherry, spice, and cola on the nose. Rich, full, and lush, with strawberry and black cherry fruit showing well. Good length on the finish, with fine tannins and medium acidity. (91 pts.)
- 2013 Bergström Pinot Noir Silice - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
Dark, more brooding nose, with cedar and raspberries. Medium bodied, with sour cherry, cranberry, flowers, and lots of tart acidity. Seems a little tight and not as giving as some of the other 13's at this point. (90 pts.)
- 2013 Bergström Pinot Noir Le Pré du Col Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge
Lovely, expressive nose showing strawberry and cola. Full bodied and fruit forward, this is expansive on the palate and quite soft and elegant. Super fine tannins, and great balance, to finish. (93 pts.)
- 2013 Bergström Pinot Noir Croft Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Lovely. Cola and black cherry, with more beautiful fruit on the palate. Soft and elegant. Really approachable right now, and very enjoyable. (93 pts.)
- 2014 Bergström Pinot Noir Rosé - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Just bottled a week ago, and likely showing a little bottle shock. Crisp, with big acidity. Watermelon and watermelon rind. Quite dark in color, but very fresh.
- 2013 Bergström Pinot Noir Gregory Ranch - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton
Dark and brooding nose, with a touch of green. This has big tannin and lots of acid. (90 pts.)
- 2012 Bergström Pinot Noir Le Pré du Col Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge
I'm noticing a theme with this vineyard that I really like. Really expressive on the nose; pretty, potpourri, raspberry. Rich and dense body with raspberry and cherry. Finishes with fine tannins and great acidity. (93 pts.)
Big Table Farm Always a fun visit, the new (2013) releases from BTF are looking quite nice right now! - 2014 Big Table Farm Laughing Pig Rosé - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
This rose (and all of the 2014's from Big Table Farm) is 100% whole cluster! It's dry, crisp, and refreshing, with lovely notes of watermelon and minerals.
- 2013 Big Table Farm Chardonnay - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Lemon curd, citrus, and some tart fruit on the nose. On the palate, it's rich and full, showing green apple and green melon with a nice mineral streak. Lovely finish, with excellent balance and lots of crisp, refreshing acidity. (93 pts.)
- 2013 Big Table Farm Pinot Noir Willamette Valley - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Nose of cola, spice box, and black fruits. Full bodied, with rich, black fruit, raspberry, and bing cherry. Fine, elegant tannins linger on the finish, which shows great balance and acidity. 50% whole cluster. (92 pts.)
- 2013 Big Table Farm Pinot Noir Pelos Sandberg Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
Dark fruit, spice and cola on the nose. This is a bit darker than the Willamette Valley blend, with lower acidity but more dark fruit and prominent fine tannins. Perhaps a bit tight at this point, but still quite nice. (91 pts.)
Domaine Drouhin Oregon - 2013 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Chardonnay Arthur - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Chalky, with lemon, minerals, and some warm spice. Green apple, minerals and crushed rocks on the palate, finishing crisp and clean with racy acidity. (90 pts.)
- 2014 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Édition Rosé - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
What a nose; sweet and full, with bubblegum, watermelon and strawberry. Fuller bodied, with watermelon rind, light red cherry, and good, clean acidity to finish. (90 pts.)
- 2013 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Red cherries, spice and cola on the nose. Leaner fruit, more red-leaning (raspberry, cherry, cranberry). Lengthy finish, with nice acidity and fine tannins. A little thin in the mid-palate. (90 pts.)
- 2013 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Showing warm spice and black cherry, with a fuller, more fruit forward and slightly earthy body than the WV Cuvee. Finishes with fine tannins. 90+ (91 pts.)
- 2011 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurène - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Wood, spice, smoke, berries, and a touch of tea. Body shows cranberry, bing cherry, tart acidity and very fine tannins. Quite structured at this stage, and certainly ready to pair well with food. (91 pts.)
- 2012 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Édition Limitée - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Deep and dark in color. The nose is intensely perfumed, with flowers, black cherry and a touch of white pepper. Beautiful body that is soft, round, and so elegant, with lots of fruit. Exceptional length on the finish ties it all together with very fine tannins and great balanced acidity. Really lovely. (94 pts.)
White Rose Estate - 2012 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Dense, ripe, and dark, with red candied cherries on the nose. Lots of densely packed, and slightly tight, red raspberry and cherry on the palate, with fine stemmy tannins and good acid to balance it out. (90 pts.)
- 2012 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir The Neo-Classical Objective - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
My first note is "wow". This is intense, perfumed, with lovely aromatics on the nose. Rich and lush, with a soft elegance wrapped around a nicely structured backbone. Lots of red strawberry and black cherry. Really lovely. 92+ (93 pts.)
- 2012 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Winemaker's Cuvée - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Another intense and stunning nose, with fresh flowers, cola, orange peel and black cherry. Full, rich, and lusciously textured, with great mouthfeel. Plum, cherry, and cassis are dominant on the fruit-forward palate, but they're well-balanced by fine, stemmy tannins and great acidity. (93 pts.)
- 2012 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir White Rose Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Cola, potpourri, and some tea to start; quite lovely. Amazingly pure on the palate, this is soft and silky. Dominated by red candied cherry, raspberry, cola, and spice, but excellently balanced. Super soft, fine tannin cut nicely through the fruit and lead into a lengthy finish. (94 pts.)
Antica Terra - 2012 Antica Terra Angelicall - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
More brooding nose, it is dense, dark and earthy, with some cherry cola and spice. Nearly full bodied, with pleasing strawberry and cherry notes. Balanced acidity, and a nice lingering finish, with a touch of bitter berry and spice. (92 pts.)
- 2012 Antica Terra Pinot Noir Botanica - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Rose petal, earth, spice, and cola. Soft, elegant palate with red cherry and raspberry. Nicely structured, and finishes with well balanced acidity. (93 pts.)
- 2012 Antica Terra Pinot Noir Antikythera - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
Mint, eucalyptus, and earthy -- even a touch savory on the nose. This is big, with a nice density to the dark black and blue fruit. Broadly structured with present tannin and great acidity, this is still a baby. Looking forward to seeing how it comes together in the future. 93+ (94 pts.)
- 2011 Lillian Winery Syrah - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
Brambly, with hints of violet alongside dark blue and black fruits. Incredible purity of fruit on the body, this is rich and unctuous with integrated fine tannin and excellent balance. 93+ (94 pts.)
Argyle - 2011 Argyle Vintage Brut - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Simple, easy sparkler. Lemon and citrus on the nose. Rich and creamy, lemon curd, with a rounder body that's balanced by zesty acidity. (89 pts.)
- 2011 Argyle Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Chalk, lemon, minerals, and sour apple on the nose. Very acid driven, with lemon, green apple and some minerality on the tart, crisp, and clean finish. (90 pts.)
- 2012 Argyle Chardonnay Nuthouse - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
A very rich wine, perhaps too much oak in the buttery richness. Somewhat balanced by lemon, citrus, and good acidity on the finish. This was served warmer, perhaps to accentuate the richness. (88 pts.)
- 2012 Argyle Pinot Noir Nuthouse Eola - Amity Hills - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
Spice and orange peel. Lightweight palate, with red cherry fruit. Finishes with fine tannin. Simple and pleasant. (88 pts.)
- 2006 Argyle Pinot Noir Nuthouse Willamette Valley - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
From magnum. Mushroom and a touch of tartness -- showing a little bit of its age. Black cherry and spice on the palate, leading into soft, but present tannins and good acidity. (89 pts.)
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