Visits to Cristom, St. Innocent, Johan, Argyle, Dobbes, Chehalem

Tasted Saturday, December 17, 2011 by David Paris (dbp) with 880 views

Flight 1 - Cristom (7 Notes)

  • 2009 Cristom Pinot Gris Estate 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Very nice and crisp aromas of apples. Quite pretty, though. The palate is pretty fruit forward in nature, again with the apples, some funky pumpkin, and squash. Spicy acids carry into the finish, which is clean and crisp. A pleasing effort.

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  • 2010 Cristom Viognier Estate 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Very light tropical fruits on the nose that are pretty nice, but they seem quite buried. Not very up front for a Viognier, though the smells are typical. Nice pineapple flavors on the palate, complete with the acidic nature of that fruit. Quite fruit forward and creamy in texture. The finish shows some nice acid on a crisp approach. Nice spicy, but things are a little out of balance on the finish.

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  • 2009 Cristom Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvée 84 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Fruit forward aromas and a little stewed fruit comes up as is typical for many 2009s. Overall though, it's still pretty mild on the nose. The palate begins with mild acid and tart flavors, but it's quite light. Slightly green and a bit thin in texture as well. The finish is spicy, mild, and off balanced, with a tart green streak running through it.

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  • 2008 Cristom Pinot Noir Sommers Reserve 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    This has 50% whole cluster fermentation. The aromas offer a nice balance of fruit. Pretty balanced, and seamless structure shown on the nose. The palate is quite soft, and dances with a pleasing strawberry component. Acid begins building a bit as it sits. Not quite enough oomph to really be exciting, though, as the flavors are overall pretty light. Nice acid is pretty intense and integrated on the finish. Not a lot else going on, though. Certainly better than the last two vintages of this.

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  • 2007 Cristom Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Showing very nice today. The aromas are quite perfumed, this smells like a crushed fundip stick. You can definitely sense some of the whole cluster on the aromas. Very nicely structured fruit on the palate, with pleasing balance. Nice structure on the finish. Tart. The whole cluster "flavor" is throughout this wine, and in a very good way. Quite pleasing.

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  • 2008 Cristom Pinot Noir Eileen Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Not very forthcoming on the aromas; very tight and well structured, even if the balance is still noted. Very nice texture on the palate, with an explosion of red fruits on the palate. Quite nice. Pleasing and balanced on the finish. The tannins are very sweet but it is mostly about the structure and generic red fruits. Nice, but this needs 5-10 years.

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  • 2008 Cristom Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Popped and poured from a half bottle at the winery. The aromas are very rich, thick and concentrated. Very nice fruit and structure on the palate. Impressive stuff; tight but elegant. Spicy on the finish. It's soft, but the 14.5% alcohol (labeled) is definitely noticeable in a slightly spicy kind of way. 91+ at the winery, but went back to finish this half bottle later in the evening and it seemed to have fallen a bit apart. Not sure what happened there. Nice, but the alcohol worries me here.

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Flight 2 - St. Innocent / Zenith (8 Notes)

  • 2010 St. Innocent Pinot Gris Vitae Springs Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Some squash aromas. The palate is pretty, slightly sweet, but pretty soft and nice. Very mellow but the RS is noticeable. Flat finish. Soft, and slightly sweet. No score noted.

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  • 2009 St. Innocent Chardonnay Dijon Clone Freedom Hill Vineyard 84 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    I'm not really into this one. Pretty bright acid is present, and this tastes like smoked butter or cheese. Weird. There's butteriness on the finish as well, with some slightly funky tart flavors.

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  • 2009 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Temperance Hill Vineyard 85 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Light aromas that are tart, and slightly green. There's also this stewed candy cream aroma. Soft, light palate with slightly tart acid. There's some spiciness and green fruit. The finish is nicer, but pretty thin and green.

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  • 2009 Zenith Vineyard Pinot Noir Estate 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Quite spicy and earthy on the nose, but there's definitely some richness to the fruit here typical of 2009. Quite light on the palate, but fairly well balanced for an '09. Some spice, and some alcohol is noted. Tart finish and really spicy. Killer acid with tart red fruits. Nice.

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  • 2009 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Zenith Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Richer and bigger than the Zenith Estate bottling, with almost creamy red fruits noted on the nose. The palate is nice in size, and pretty smoothly integrated. Soft acid and nice fruit. The finish is spic, and more richly endowed than the Estate. Still nice balance with pleasing acid throughout. Enjoyed this better earlier in the year with more air time.

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  • 2009 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Very rich and big aromas. Pretty forward on the nose, but not modern or extracted; just a nice, fruity Oregon Pinot. The palate is very nice, showing soft fruits, pleasing and integrated acid. Soft. Nice, but not overtly complex. Nice spice and acid on the finish with nice tartness. Quite elegant, even if there's a notion of candied fruit at the end. Nice stuff.

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  • 2009 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    Very large aromas. Typical Shea presence and candied berries. The palate is massive and fruit forward, and all candied fruit flavors. Spicy finish. Tart, with some balance to the structure, but the alcohol is what lingers.

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  • 2009 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very rich and big, spicy aromas. The palate is nicely balanced, with well balanced fruit. The complexity isn't very deep, but it's balanced very well. Elegant on the finish too, and pretty impressive balance for an '09. 91+

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Flight 3 - Johan Vineyards (7 Notes)

  • 2009 Johan Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Plenty of apple fruit on the soft and light nose. Spicy, tart, and fairly elegant aromas. A bit of funky acids are present on the palate, which is creamy, showing some woodsy character. These acids carry into the finish which shows nice grittiness. Nice.

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  • 2009 Johan Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    A tie for my favorite young Oregon Chardonnay. This didn't show any of the cloudiness that these did just after bottling. The aromas are quite soft but very elegant. Quite tight on the palate, which shows impressive structure. Very nice and elegant, and soft in texture, even if the flavors aren't yet fully developed or open for business. The finish is tight, with the tell tail acids. Soft and fantastic, pleasing structural balance. I picked a few bottles up but will likely come back for more.

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  • 2008 Johan Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very wild aromas, but again quite tight. Creamy, spicy flavors. Again, tight. Tart finish, soft, but not near the complexity or balance of the 2009.

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  • 2010 Johan Vineyards Pinot Gris Estate 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Even better than last time. The aromas are tart and slightly green. The palate is very soft, pretty elegant and soft. This is quite a bit smoother than in April, and showing more up front acid and less noticeable sweetness than it was earlier. The finish doesn't have quite the impactful acid that the palate does, but it's still pretty tasty.

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  • 2009 Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Tasting Room 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    A special bottling that will only be sold out of the tasting room. The aromas are spicy, and pretty large and thick in scale. Very soft on palate entry, with light texture. Fruit forward in nature, and not offering much structure. But the fruit flavors that are present are very nice, even if there isn't much depth. Soft finish, with some mild acids that build as you sit. Pretty decent, but light. The finish is definitely the best part. I think they've achieved the goal of a quaffing drink to compete a lower price point.

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  • 2009 Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Spicy, soft aromas of pleasing fruit and some mud. Pretty soft palate, with mild acids, tart fruit, but not much depth. Pretty mild. Spicy finish, and again not much depth.

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  • 2008 Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Nils Reserve 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Not giving up much today, this particular bottle was just opened and not showing as well as the bottles I consumed over the summer. Still, the structure is very impressive, and this may just be in a shut down phase again. The palate was pretty light, but showing some buried complexity beneath the structure. Some depth and acid is present, with the tart fruit. Great depth on the finish, and things slowly begin to open up after swallowing. Quite soft, but pretty darn tight today.

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Flight 4 - Argyle (6 Notes)

  • 2008 Argyle Vintage Brut 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    This smells creamy. The palate is nice and creamy as well, with lush, soft texture. Slightly off balanced on the texture, but nice and moussey, with interesting tartness.

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  • 2007 Argyle Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs Knudsen Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Pleasing, but soft aromas. The palate shows nice fruit, and impressive flavors. Soft, nice mousse, but not too deep. Tart apples on the crisp finish, but there isn't really much else that's interesting. Pretty soft, and some odd funk.

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  • 2007 Argyle Brut Knudsen Vineyard 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Smells like water. The palate is very nicely red fruited, and offers a sexy texture. Really pleasing on the palate. The finish turns a little funky and dryingly tart on the finish, leaving my mouth feeling like I just sucked on a battery.

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  • 2001 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very nice fruit aromas. Nicely aged fruits on the palate, which is tart and suckingly dry. Some stewed chemicals that are a little off putting. Very dry finish, and again quite tart. Not as good as previous years.

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  • 2008 Argyle Brut Rosé 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    No formal notes... nicely fruited, with a tart and grippy finish.

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  • 2008 Argyle Pinot Noir Spirithouse 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    This wine always sounds as if it's going to be far better than I wind up enjoying it. In 2008, this offers the typical, very forward nose, and there is even some alcohol peaking through. The palate is very soft, and feels a bit too massaged for me. Not enough angles and it feels manipulated. The alcohol is coming in here too. Nothing distinguishing on the finish. A pretty boring and soft effort for the cost of entry.

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Flight 5 - Dobbes Family Estate (6 Notes)

  • 2009 Dobbes Family Estate Pinot Noir Grand Assemblage 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Fairly forward style, but there's some nice red fruit here as well as a firecracker. The palate is soft and lush, but some booziness builds, as well as some slightly green flavors. Still nice though, and tastes a bit like an endive. The finish is mild, spicy, and soft.

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  • 2007 Dobbes Family Estate Pinot Noir Quailhurst Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

    Very spicy aromas, and interestingly forward fruit for the vintage. The palate is very soft. A bit too soft for an '07, as I'd like to see some spice and acid. The finish is soft, with no distinguishing character. Doesn't feel right, and they didn't seem to to take what the vintage offered.

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  • 2009 Quailhurst Pinot Noir Vineyard Estate 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Nice and spicy aromas, with more balance than the '07 Dobbes bottling. Nice sweet fruit is present on the nose. Very soft on the palate, though, but things are approaching some semblance of elegance. Spicy and soft. The finish offers some nice acid, but still feels manipulated, with some off putting flavors present as well.

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  • 2007 Dobbes Family Estate Pinot Noir Symonette 85 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    They're asking twice the price for this than Tom Symonette asks for his own Whistling Dog wine made from his vineyard. My guess is Tom's not selling the best fruit to Joe, either... this vineyard definitely does better in its owners hands. This particular effort was quite off balanced. The palate was very fruit forward, but still pleasing, offering pounds of mild red fruit. The finish was tart and high in acid, but everything is a bit softer than it feels it should be. Again, feels massaged into oblivion, and feeling a little fake fruited.

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  • 2009 Dobbes Family Estate Pinot Noir Skipper's Cuvée 83 Points

    USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley

    Very rarely am I going to like a 14.5% Pinot Noir, and this was no exception. The aromas are soft, but the fruit on the palate is massive and extracted. Pretty soft otherwise, though. The finish is really massive, though, with thick feeling dark fruit and very monolithic. The woman pouring said this is named after the winemaker's daughter as it's suppose to be a feminine wine... well, if that was the goal than I think they've failed. Either that or their daughter is a linebacker.

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  • 2009 Dobbes Family Estate Syrah Grande Assemblage Cuvée 80 Points

    USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley

    I really didn't want to try this, but she insisted, so here ya go... The aromas are very rich. Like milk chocolate, with other deep, dark aromas. The palate is soft and very fruit forward. A bit funky, in a bad way, as it tastes like a tin can. Pretty much tastes like purple drank.

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Flight 6 - Chehalem (7 Notes)

  • 2010 Chehalem Pinot Blanc Stoller Vineyard 85 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Slightly astringent aromas, with a little funky fruit as well. Nice winter melon flavors on the palate, with squash. Tart and funky finish, with green notes.

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  • 2009 Chehalem Riesling Corral Creek 75 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

    A little funky aromas, with some astringency and chemicals. Smells like newly minted plastic. Very tart and funky on the palate, with more tart funky plastic. The plastic is there on the finish too. Just bad.

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  • 2008 Chehalem Chardonnay Ian's Reserve Stoller Vineyard 84 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Quite tart, woodsy, sweet oak aromas. Smells of burning wood embers. The palate offers some mild orange peels, and some other off balanced flavors, finishing up with some tart tropical fruit. Slightly acidic and tart on the finish. Odd.

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  • 2009 Chehalem Cerise 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

    Quite pleasing aromas, with a spicy green pepper as the prominent aroma. Quite fruit forward and pretty well balanced. Soft finish, though there is some astringency. Pretty decent.

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  • 2009 Chehalem Pinot Noir Corral Creek 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

    Soft, elegant aromas. Very soft palate, with pleasing fruit. Spicy, and nice fruit on the finish, but really not much interested, even if nothing is really out of whack here.

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  • 2009 Chehalem Pinot Noir Ridgecrest Wind Ridge Block 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

    Very exuberant aromas, with nice, pleasing fruit and a good balance. Quite nice on the palate, with forward fruit flavors. Pleasing and again elegant. Very spicy finish, with pleasing balance.

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  • 2009 Chehalem Pinot Noir Stoller Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Very soft fruit forward aromas. Elegant and soft palate entry, with nice palate feel. Good acid on the finish, but really dries things out. Tart, but nice. Pretty floral character.

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