Tasting the Willamette Valley--2009, Day One
Willamette Valley, OR
Tasted July 14, 2009 by cgrimes with 993 views
Introduction
Our 3rd Annual Trip, covering mostly the Dundee Hills. As usual, we stop by some of our favorite wineries as well as try to hit a few new places. We always like to try to go to DDO but it was closed for a private party. Without a doubt, the hit of the day was Prive.
Flight 1 - Elk Cove (7 notes)
Generally our first stop as they open at 10am and are right off 47 on our way into the area. We love the picturesque vineyard and tasting room and feel they do a great overall tasting with a good range of wines to get us in the mood. Their Pinot Gris is our favorite for this varietal.
White
2007 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Blanc
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Light golden color. Nose of tart apple, some lemon. Similar on the palate with a slight creaminess. Good acidity and balance though I preferred the Pinot Gris.
White
2007 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Same PG as tasted last year at the winery. This has turned out to be our favorite of the OR Pinot Gris tried so far. Lighter and more floral than the Pinot Blanc.
Red
2007 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Lighter ruby. Nose of dark fruits and some green pepper. Palate of black and some red cherry, spice, earth. A little thin but more rounded than the Five Mountain. Given the vintage the Willamette Valley cuvee seems to have benefitted from blending.
Red
2007 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Five Mountain
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Darker ruby than the WV with nose of more black cherry. Similar on the palate but this had more greenness and was not as balanced. More tannins but not sure whether this would improve with age.
Flight 2 - Torii Mor (9 notes)
We receive wine from Torii Mor through the club so we like to get a tasting of the latest shipments. They produce nice smaller production Pinots. Their whites have never been our favorite. The Japanese-style tasting room is always relaxing.
White
2008 Torii Mor Pinot Gris
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Light golden color. Nose of pear, some apple. Similar palate with slight anise, spice. Not as floral as I look for in a PG and its overall density weighed it down a bit.
White
2007 Torii Mor Chardonnay
USA, Oregon/Washington
Similar to my previous note: Light golden color. Nose of pears, some tropical fruits, slight hazelnuts. Similar palate with decent minerality and acidity. Took the edge of some of the butteriness. Overall well-balanced. Drink within a few years.
Red
2007 Torii Mor Pinot Noir
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Light ruby color. Nose of black cherry, green pepper, spice. Similar palate. Somewhat herbaceous and thin. "Light style" is slightly eumphamistic.
Red
2006 Torii Mor Pinot Noir Reserve Deux Verres
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Dark ruby color. Nose of dark cherry, raspberry, spice, oak. Similar palate with nice roundedness to the fruit and some earth. Mild tannins. This has put on some weight, and was more enjoyable compared to last year's tasting.
Red
2006 Torii Mor Pinot Noir Temperance Hill
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
Dark ruby color. Nose of black cherry, spice, oak. Palate revealed rounded dark cherry, some raspberry, some spice, less earthy than the Hawks Hill. Softer tannins. Pleasant.
Red
2006 Torii Mor Pinot Noir Hawk's View
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
Dark ruby color. Similar nose and characteristics than the Temperance Hill but a bit earthier, spicier. Slightly more tannic. Will likely develop with age.
Flight 3 - Prive Vineyard (4 notes)
We were graciously hosted by the winemaker and Co-owner Tina Hammond for a very informative tasting and tour. We even had the opportunity to try barrel samples from her Cabernet Franc (which she uses in her Bordeaux blend), the 2008 Sud, as well as the 2008 Pinot Port. My wife and I were really impressed by the quality of her wines and her Burgundian style suits us very well.
Red
2006 Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir Le Nord
USA, Oregon, Yamhill County
Ruby color. Beautiful nose of dark cherries, some roses, spice, some oak. Similar on the palate with a nice earthiness that gave it a riper Burgundian character. Very different from the Sud which was more fruity and candied. I did not get any of this in the Le Nord. This will continue to get better. My wine of the day. Tasted with the winemaker from 375ml.
Red
2006 Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir Le Sud
USA, Oregon, Yamhill County
Dark ruby color. Nose of black cherry, somewhat candied, some kirsh. More fruity but less complex than the Le Nord. Still very nice but less my style.
Red
2008 Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir Le Sud
USA, Oregon, Yamhill County
Barrel sample. This seems to have all the good elements of density and purity of fruit with complexity, good acidity, and a nice tannic background. Should be a wonderful wine.
Red - Fortified
2008 Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir Port
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Barrel sample. This was incredible. Wonderful fruit, smooth, elegant, with brown sugar, kirsh and a very long finish. At the same time it was light on its feet, not overdone.
Flight 4 - Argyle (3 notes)
After a nice, no-wine lunch at the Dundee Bistro, we popped over for some afternoon sparklers at Argyle. While I like some of their reserve Pinots, I am most consistantly impressed with their Brut sparkler.
White - Sparkling
2005 Argyle Vintage Brut
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Light golden color. Nice mousse. Nose of pears, some apple, yeast. Similar on the palate with a bit of toastiness. Good acidity. Nice sparkler.
Rosé - Sparkling
2007 Argyle Brut Rosé
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Medium salmon color. Slightly more fruity than the Brut with some strawberry as well. Not as appealing to me.
Flight 5 - Dinner at the Joel Palmer House (1 note)
We ate out on the lawn on a lovely summer evening and ate the Mushroom Madness meal. While it was interesting (and overall very good) the wine stood out as the best part of the meal.
Red
2004 Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir Le Nord
USA, Oregon, Yamhill County
Ruby color with some lightening at the rim. Gorgeous nose of dark cherries, some leather, earth, spice. Similar on the palate with a lovely complexity, good acidity and tannic structure with a great finish. This was without a doubt one of the best OR Pinots I have ever tasted. Tasted at the Joel Palmer House.
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