11/2/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Tasting well

10/27/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

See prior notes. Maybe it was the bottle or the food (Lamb Chops) but this bottle was simply sublime.

10/27/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Drinking well. Full fruit berry flavors but balanced across warm fruit (plum) to high altitude berries

10/27/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Lush dark plum/cherry flavors. Traditional cab notes a just making it past the intense fruit

9/10/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Very smooth and ready to drink See my previous notes

9/8/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

A marvelous wine ! Other notes on this wine are spot on. First make sure you decant it and give it some time. Earthy with dark berry fruits with linering tobacco. The taste is very balanced and structured with traces of stem and young berry.

9/5/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

"Got to admit it's getting better" See prior notes

9/4/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

This is reaching perfection

9/2/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Starting to loosen up. Improves with decanting

8/25/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Drinking well for a 2008

8/24/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

I am not sure what happened to this and I am assuming it was slightly aired/corked

8/10/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Not much bouquet outside of some gentle barnyard with a slight touch of grenadilla (quite unique). Harbors the fragrance of a light french champagne which the cultivar is generally blended into to provide it's color and bouquet. Gentle but full flavored berry and pinot fruit taste and pleasing to drink. Paired well with grilled lamb , rosemary & potatoes !

7/26/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Bottle 178 of 237........simply brilliant and gorgeous. Smooth round bouquet (dijon 777 & Pommard?) .Taste is gently and smooth full berry fruit .
Simply a stunningly good wine

7/23/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Very palatable....2010 is a gentle vintage with berry fruit bouquet that translates into it's taste

7/7/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Defying convention to wait 4-6 years to drink the 2010 vintage which I believe is tasting amazingly good at present. This wine must rank as one of the best ever produced by this vineyard. Bouquet was a rounded berry with plum and dark fruit undertones. The taste, as it should be, matched the bouquet with a strong well rounded full note fruit taste. The wine had a long aftertaste and rich flavor that suggested it probably contained a high % of Pommard & 777 clones.

7/2/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Bouquet was present on opening being a mild berry that disappeared after few hours, However the taste was smooth slightly tart and very balanced blackberry & cherry finish. The Laurene is a limited bottling from the best barrels. Simply lovely !!!

6/30/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

The cluster style allows the wine to retain a sharpness and highlights the berry fruit. Very earthy & tobacco bouquet over hangs the whole berry tones. Decanting for 2 plus hours rewards the drinker with a warmer whole berry fruit tone to the taste

6/22/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Beautiful example of a great cool year wine. Blend of Pommard & Wadswil (SIC) clones on the famous ribbon ridge. Gentle bright berry fruit flavors with full rounded tone. Drinking well if decanted as it is a little tart when first opened. Bouquet & taste are identical.

6/18/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Possibly my favorite Cab of all time. The fruit from the Champoux vineyard has always been legendary and 2003 seemed to be an exceptional year. Now at 10 years this a smooth well rounded cab with gentle homogenous berry fruit flavors in a full bodied wine

6/10/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Need to decant and air to allow the character to develop. Average Chianti good enough to accompany a pizza

6/9/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Wonderful potential but still not ready for drinking. The whole cluster is still dominant giving a "green" and tart berry fruit taste. Bouquet has not yet developed beyond a tobacco mild fruit combination

6/2/2013 - Oregon Pinot Likes this wine:

This Rose is from a Pommard clone Pinot Noir from the Estate. Planted in 2002, this fruit lends itself to a fuller more rounded Rose than you will find from other Estates. Bouquet is light delicate with berry fruit and some floral scents. Taste is reminiscent of subtle pinot and sweeter than I expected. Very smooth and easy to drink.

6/2/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Had this at the Vineyard Tasting room. (worth a visit) The wine is all vineyard fruit and made by Robert Brittain. Clones are Pommard & Dijon 115 grown at 550' that give it a very balanced Burgundian style wine. Bouquet is full & round with plum, cherry and soft berry textures. Taste matches the bouquet but is smoother than I have come to expect from 2008 vintage pinot. Plan to try a bottle tonight !!!

5/27/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Full berry fruit bouquet. Gentle and smooth to the palate. Very Burgundian in style. Comes from a cooler year and the higher altitude wines from the Dundee Hills are very palatable early in their life.

5/19/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

If you are willing to decant this wine, it is ready for current consumption.

5/19/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

2006 was a warm year and some of these wines are showing signs of peaking. Recommend they are drunk soon . Very fruity on the cherry/plum flavors that you would expect from a hot year. Bouquet almost solely farmyard, leather and tobacco. Still a range full and hearty wine

5/12/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Starting to improve. Tobacco receding and more dark fruit coming forward

5/11/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Dark fruit with a strong full body. However it is a smooth easydrink

4/14/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

See prior notes. Will gain from additional cellaring

4/6/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Still drinking well and in perfect condition. Floral notes Lychee & pear notes produce a gentle drink as refreshing as an Oregon summer day

3/23/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Ribbon Springs is a little tart but with very strong small berry & floral taste. I made a mistake opening this, even with decanting it tasted tart and unripe which is unusual for a 2008 . However, I still rate this highly as I believe it is improving with cellar time, Bouquet was mainly tobacco notes.

3/23/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Tasted the early release of the 2010 Vintage. In general DDO's 2010 wines are remarkable and the Louise is the top of their production. It is made from the top 15 barrels (some years as few as 3) and distribution is normally limited to Club members giving the wine a certain cache.
The cellars were cold and the wine was served below optimum temperature & required a lot of hand warming. This was worthwhile as it developed a full rounded berry bouquet of classic Pinot Noir. It's taste was full and balanced with cherry, plum and blackberry fruit and the envitable tobacco of a young wine. Generally, 2010 vintage was "light" due to the climate that year but this wine is an exception. It tasted like a classic French Burgundy made from only Pommard clones. In practice it has maybe 4 or more Dijon clones with Dijon 777 making up 20%. This wine deserves to be laid down for 6- 10 years and I believe it will emerge as a classic.

3/23/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Could nor maintain my discipline and I pulled this out of the cellar. I felt when I purchased this wine that it was one of the best of the 2009 vintage. I know little of the vineyard but Adelsheim found a great source of grape.

The wine is showing strong broad fruit bouquet with cherry, plum and blackberry combining beautifully. It was tasting magnificently but you could tell that this will definitely improve to an impossibly high score over the next decade. However, I am happy to tell you that after some decanting this wine will impress anyone.

2/24/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

The bouquet is barnyard & tobacco with a lingering portion of warm summer fruit. Taste is full strong red fruit and slightly tart

2/24/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Tart closed taste that opened slightly after decanting. Tobacco & barnyard taste & bouquet and little berry fruit, Pale color suggests a young vine

2/23/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Starting to drink well for an opening price point blend. The bouquet is still young energetic and a strong single berry tone with strong hints of tobacco. The taste is still a little tart even after a days decanting with strong berry and plum flavors. The wine is full of a warm fruit laden Oregon summer and delightful enough on a winters evening to bring a smile to your face !

2/17/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Two hours decanting made it palatable. Very disappointing see prior notes

2/10/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

New bottling and not ready for consumption or release. Bouquet & taste were identical. Harsh tobacco notes with very little fruit. Wine was tight and felt unripened. It tastes similar to the 2007 vintage which was another cool year but 6 years later became a favorite for everybody. You have to trust the winemaker, lay it down and hope that somewhere around 2017 you have scored a hit. Personally, it made me go back and snap up more of the 2010 vintage

2/9/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Fruit bouquet powered by cherry and plum notes and still quite strong. After some decanting time traces of tobacco and blackberry were present. The wine tastes broad and full. A powerful Pinot starting to age well and open up. This wine will be good drinking from now until 2018

2/3/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Opened it 2 days before drinking and kept in the wine fridge. Still tart and with little complexity to the fruit. This wine like many of the 2008 vintage is in a funk and should be left alone for at least 2 more years. No bouquet beyond a heavy tobacco

2/2/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

In one word NECTAR. A very big wine single full tone dark berry fruit smooth taste. Bouquet perfectly matched the taste and led you to what to expect. I agree it can be kept for another 10 years but I do not see how it can be improved. This what a classic big shiraz/Syrah should taste like.

2/1/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Smooth and intense berry fruit bouquet and taste

1/24/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Still very tight and tart. Too early to drink and seems to need another 4 years

1/16/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Poor .... carbonated from the "fritz" Sad that they have screwed up a legendary vineyard

1/16/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

When I tasted this on it's release, it was the best tasting 2008 OR Pinot that I had tasted and I felt it had great potential. Shortly after their release ( 6 months) most of this vintage went into a funk. Happily in 2013, they are all starting to come back. This wine now tastes exceptional. On day 1 after a few hours decanting, the bouquet is fresh berry fruit , possibly plum and cherry combined. It is distinctive and a full fruit bouquet. On day 2 after 24 hours, the fruit had largely faded to be replaced with a tobacco & water melon bouquet. The taste is full and a warm summer with a mature ripened flavor. On the 2nd day, the berry fruit taste was surprisingly stronger. Excellent wine almost too good to be drunk now and will improve over the next 3 years.

1/15/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

See prior notes.....this is developing so well. Responds to a decanting marvelously

1/5/2013 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Developing nicely! Rounded and smooth berry taste. Cherry and plum are dominant but it has a full dark fruit taste. Starting to become very smooth with a slight tobacco tone. Bouquet is wondrous.....classic Dundee Hills OR Pinot Noir nose .Full heavy berry fruit bouquet.

12/1/2012 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Full tasting fruit

12/1/2012 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

2007 was a tough year, this is one of the better wines. Very fruity and still tasting young

11/17/2012 - Oregon Pinot wrote:

Classic fine Ribbon Ridge . Better on the 2nd day so decanting is important