Oregon Pinot Noir

Last night my tasting group met to drink Oregon Pinot Noir. The loose theme was $20 to $40 and available on the local shelves, but some us strayed slightly. The wines were pop and poured and served blind. We consumed them over a couple of hours. Breads and cheese were served.

• 2012 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Lou nailed this blind. Always a favorite, this was no exception. Silvery gold in color with slight copper notes. The nose is minerals, slight citrus with some lemon-lime soda. Very pronounced and nice. On the palate, tart citrus. Perhaps a hint of sweetness/ripeness. Minerals. This is refreshing and tasty. Nice finish. At $20, there is good value still.

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• 2012 The Four Graces Pinot Blanc 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  This is nice, but unanimously not in the class of the Elk Cove PG. Silvery gold in color. The nose has minerals and seltzer. It is softer and thinner on the palate. Slightly oily texture. Not much fruit, and a bit flabby. Find drinking but at $23 Ohio, probably not much value.

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• 2011 Ken Wright Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 83 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Last place. Pale ruby in color. The nose is dusty, cherry powdered candy with a musty (not tca) note. On the palate, this is thin with a bitter finish. There are some cherry notes, and I found it drinkable, others not so much. We wondered if this was a proper bottle, but the other reviews seem to say this is consistent.

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• 2010 Sineann Pinot Noir Resonance Vineyard

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

  This seemed to be a love it or not kind of wine. It took a while to open and for me, it certainly kept improving all night long. Needs air at this time. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is deep with cherries. Very nice body, long finish, but the first hour, I found little fruit on the palate. Eventually, cherries, and sour cherries came out. I will hold my remaining bottles for a bit.

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• 2011 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Temperance Hill Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

  I liked this far more than the group. Ruby/slight purple in color. The nose is very pretty with floral notes, cherries and cherry powdered drink. Juicy acidity. Sour cherries on the palate. Accessible at this stage which is nice.

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• 2009 Thomas Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 93 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  My WOTN, but it was divisive. Light ruby in color. Clear and bright. The nose I lovely and complex. Cherries, slight earthy notes and a bit of rhubarb. Great texture. Complex and deep. The layers unwind in the glass. Nice cherry fruit although more elegant than out there. Long finish.

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• 2011 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Purple/ruby in color. This has big dark cherries on the nose. It is fruit forward and easy drinking. Big dark cherries on the palate as well. very enjoyable. I don't know that it makes old bones, but a nice cocktail wine right now.

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• 2010 Alexana Pinot Noir Revana Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  My first time trying this winery. It was the groups WOTN. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is nice with cherries and dark cherries. Great texture. Juicy dark cherries on the palate. This is big and perhaps a bit high octane for some, but I found it delicious and complex.

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• 2010 Torii Mor Pinot Noir Reserve Deux Verres 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Some liked this more than I. Light ruby in color. The nose has a green vegetal streak that I don't like in my Pinot's. It seems a bit under ripe for my tastes on the palate as well. There is some cherry and cranberry there too. Nice texture. Certainly drinkable and improved with food.

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• 2010 Sineann Pinot Noir Oregon 90 Points

  USA, Oregon

  This was the groups #2 WOTN. Bought off the local store shelf. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has cherries and cherry powdered drink. For my tastes, it was initially a bit confectionary. With air, the sweetness subsided and the darker cherries came out. Nice texture. Good finish. This is still a bigger wine, but not over the top. I found it more advanced than the Resonance Vyd, but both need some air/time.

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• 2010 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Elizabeth's Reserve 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

  Ruby/purple in color. The nose was tight to me and remained so. On the palate, its nice but simple. Sour cherries. The only wine with firm tannins. Tart finish. This did start to open up later in the night. I think it just needs some time to really open. Lou mentioned an 02 recently was singing, so perhaps this needs to cellar for 5 to 10 more years.

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Lots of different styles and vintages. Oregon, of course, makes a lot of different styles. While perhaps none of these were awesome, most were outstanding and there is some value (on a scale of Pinots). Personally, I don't think any of these vintages is a great one. I would like to revisit many of these in 2012, which is a vintage I really like based on some early sampling.