No detailed notes. Popped and poured and consumed over about 2 hours. Very dark, virtually opaque red-garnet. Very nice, I'd say classic, Oregon pinot nose and palate with no hard edges, plenty of fruit, and good acidity. It was quite ripe for a 2008.
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One of the best Oregon wines I've ever had. I visited the winery 5 years ago, don't think I tasted the vintage of three barrel they were pouring then. But this was a serious PN, dry and earthy and full of mushrooms and dark cherry. Very little signs of aging, almost hard to believe for a 10 year old new world PN. Really reminded me of high quality gevrey chambertin. This has a decade or more left.
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Oregon: Young vs. old vine tasting & the consumption of Hank, a Scottish Highland steer (Paul's house): Some light oak aromas and decent spice. Nice smells, but mild. Mild palate entry on a medium bodied frame. Really nice acid initially, with lots of high tones, but it doesn't take long for the palate to be completely consumed by grippy, sweet tannins. Incredibly tight with tons of grip and a really chewy mouth feel. Again, tight as nails on the finish. Just crazy tight. The structure here is impenetrable, but impressive. The most impressive thing about this wine is despite how chewy it is, nothing feels out of place. The tannins are relatively sweet, though massive, and it remains balanced throughout the whole experience. My guess would be this can age 30+ years, no problem, as its balanced throughout.
I flipped a quarter and guessed old vines, but that really was a guess. I wasn't too surprised when this was revealed. This was my favorite red wine of the night, and the one that I think has the longest future ahead of it.
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Portland CellarTracker offline (Sauvage et Fausse Piste Winery, Portland, Oregon): Lightly scented with dark spices, brier, pomegranate and black cherry. Flavored flawlessly: crushed cranberry, cherry compote, caramel, star anise, mineral and brick notes. Powerfully framed, full and refined. Unadulterated elegance –a gorgeous wine. My favorite Pinot Noir of the night.
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Gorgeous wine. Loads of dark, brambly fruit that competed with black pepper and red soil aromas. Firm tannin, still showing its youth, but the potential is undeniable. I loved how tart cherries and spices went back and forth across my palate. If you're going to drink now, perhaps decant for several hours.
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Mistakenly opened this bottle, so instead of 15 years to age like I intended, it got one month. Stick your nose in the glass or take a sip and this wine comes across like an amped up teenager who has a little knowledge on a lot of topics. It’s eager to show you one item (dusty cranberries) but is easily distracted and on to the next (your favorite corner bakery) while only giving you a hint of each. Give this bottle 10-15 years and you will be rewarded with a calmed wine that can express all the talent it has been given.
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Very dark in glass. The nose on this pops with aromas of red fruit, cherries, dark plums, strawberry, as well as cooking spices and herbs, nutmeg, rosemary, and also floral notes. A very intense, complex nose. The intensity of flavor here is very high without feeling heavy, very pure and intense flavors of cherry, blackberry, spice, earth and light minerality. Perfect integration of flavor and structure. The structure here is equally intense and is perfectly balanced to the flavor intensity. Substantial length, the wine lingers on the palate for 40 seconds easily. Open for 2 hours before tasting, and this is drinking so well now for a young wine but obviously has many great year ahead of it. My favorite 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir I have ever tasted. 94+
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the nose is rich and complex showing full dark cherries along with a touch of nutmeg, and some pastries cooked with cinnamon. There is also a deep green note that suggests walking through evergreens at night. The cherry flavors are full and clear on the palate with dark character running all the way through the experience. These dark cherries show like they're baked into a pie, with good crust flavors showing on the mid palate that are touched with a hint of vanilla and a dusting of brown sugar. Smooth fruit flavors run out on the finish with some good acidity. The fruit is full, delicious, and compelling from beginning to end. Lovely! 92+
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Incredibly tight and closed on the nose on first pour, showing big structure, but this opened up considerably with some vigorous swirling. It's still quite soft on the nose, but it's certainly explosive, showing very pleasing, mild red fruit. There's some earth balancing it out, and it just smells delicious, and demands one to dive in. The palate certainly shows grippy tannins, but they are sweet and in balance. There's very pure fruit and pleasing texture, with a impressive structure felt throughout. While this again isn't fully open for business, it's impressive on the palate and the potential is evident. The finish is grippy and tart, with really nice acid and tannic balance. The three barrel always shows really impressive structural balance, and this is even better than the 2007. A wine for the cellar, this will likely wind up as one of the top wines of the 2008 vintage in 10 years.
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4/12/2021 - tomandlu wrote: 90 Points
No detailed notes. Popped and poured and consumed over about 2 hours. Very dark, virtually opaque red-garnet. Very nice, I'd say classic, Oregon pinot nose and palate with no hard edges, plenty of fruit, and good acidity. It was quite ripe for a 2008.
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1/28/2018 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 93 Points
One of the best Oregon wines I've ever had. I visited the winery 5 years ago, don't think I tasted the vintage of three barrel they were pouring then. But this was a serious PN, dry and earthy and full of mushrooms and dark cherry. Very little signs of aging, almost hard to believe for a 10 year old new world PN. Really reminded me of high quality gevrey chambertin. This has a decade or more left.
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7/13/2013 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 92 Points
Oregon: Young vs. old vine tasting & the consumption of Hank, a Scottish Highland steer (Paul's house): Some light oak aromas and decent spice. Nice smells, but mild. Mild palate entry on a medium bodied frame. Really nice acid initially, with lots of high tones, but it doesn't take long for the palate to be completely consumed by grippy, sweet tannins. Incredibly tight with tons of grip and a really chewy mouth feel. Again, tight as nails on the finish. Just crazy tight. The structure here is impenetrable, but impressive. The most impressive thing about this wine is despite how chewy it is, nothing feels out of place. The tannins are relatively sweet, though massive, and it remains balanced throughout the whole experience. My guess would be this can age 30+ years, no problem, as its balanced throughout.
I flipped a quarter and guessed old vines, but that really was a guess. I wasn't too surprised when this was revealed. This was my favorite red wine of the night, and the one that I think has the longest future ahead of it.
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1/11/2013 - VinLancaster wrote:
Portland CellarTracker offline (Sauvage et Fausse Piste Winery, Portland, Oregon): Lightly scented with dark spices, brier, pomegranate and black cherry. Flavored flawlessly: crushed cranberry, cherry compote, caramel, star anise, mineral and brick notes. Powerfully framed, full and refined. Unadulterated elegance –a gorgeous wine.
My favorite Pinot Noir of the night.
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9/2/2012 - ucbeau wrote:
Gorgeous wine. Loads of dark, brambly fruit that competed with black pepper and red soil aromas. Firm tannin, still showing its youth, but the potential is undeniable. I loved how tart cherries and spices went back and forth across my palate. If you're going to drink now, perhaps decant for several hours.
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1/13/2012 - kwalitsch wrote: 92 Points
Mistakenly opened this bottle, so instead of 15 years to age like I intended, it got one month. Stick your nose in the glass or take a sip and this wine comes across like an amped up teenager who has a little knowledge on a lot of topics. It’s eager to show you one item (dusty cranberries) but is easily distracted and on to the next (your favorite corner bakery) while only giving you a hint of each. Give this bottle 10-15 years and you will be rewarded with a calmed wine that can express all the talent it has been given.
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12/7/2011 - gripNsip wrote: 94 Points
Very dark in glass. The nose on this pops with aromas of red fruit, cherries, dark plums, strawberry, as well as cooking spices and herbs, nutmeg, rosemary, and also floral notes. A very intense, complex nose. The intensity of flavor here is very high without feeling heavy, very pure and intense flavors of cherry, blackberry, spice, earth and light minerality. Perfect integration of flavor and structure. The structure here is equally intense and is perfectly balanced to the flavor intensity. Substantial length, the wine lingers on the palate for 40 seconds easily. Open for 2 hours before tasting, and this is drinking so well now for a young wine but obviously has many great year ahead of it. My favorite 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir I have ever tasted. 94+
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4/30/2011 - subtlet Likes this wine: 92 Points
the nose is rich and complex showing full dark cherries along with a touch of nutmeg, and some pastries cooked with cinnamon. There is also a deep green note that suggests walking through evergreens at night. The cherry flavors are full and clear on the palate with dark character running all the way through the experience. These dark cherries show like they're baked into a pie, with good crust flavors showing on the mid palate that are touched with a hint of vanilla and a dusting of brown sugar. Smooth fruit flavors run out on the finish with some good acidity. The fruit is full, delicious, and compelling from beginning to end. Lovely! 92+
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4/30/2011 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 92 Points
Incredibly tight and closed on the nose on first pour, showing big structure, but this opened up considerably with some vigorous swirling. It's still quite soft on the nose, but it's certainly explosive, showing very pleasing, mild red fruit. There's some earth balancing it out, and it just smells delicious, and demands one to dive in. The palate certainly shows grippy tannins, but they are sweet and in balance. There's very pure fruit and pleasing texture, with a impressive structure felt throughout. While this again isn't fully open for business, it's impressive on the palate and the potential is evident. The finish is grippy and tart, with really nice acid and tannic balance. The three barrel always shows really impressive structural balance, and this is even better than the 2007. A wine for the cellar, this will likely wind up as one of the top wines of the 2008 vintage in 10 years.
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