At first la oamy ferrous, earth driven nose with undergrowth, bouillon, savory herbs and a mix of dark and red fruits. It fleshes out over a few hours, gains more fruit. It's midweighted and sapid with excellent palate presence, with breadth and intensity without heaviness. Savory and soil more than fruit driven. Structured, harmonious and balanced. Power and poise. Long. At peak. 94
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Impressively fresh, with strong acid even after 24 years. Remains my favorite vintage of this wine...red and black cherries with a subtle earthy texture and mild tannins. Precisely balanced, drinking flawlessly right now without decanting.
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deep red color. Classic Oregon point nose with some hints of barnyard earthiness. Great fruit /acid balance and finish. Still has a number of years if properly collared
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Monday Night Football (Lion's den): I was just getting into wine when the 1998 vintage of Oregon Pinot Noir was released and remember being disappointed because I didn't like it as much as the accessible 1997. A sommelier told me it was actually considered a better vintage because it had something called "structure." I was not amused and didn't like this "structure" thing.
15 years later, wow! This beauty has aged gorgeously, gaining some of the Burgundian character in the body that makes aged Pinot Noir so special. The Oregon fruit is still present and I imagine this will hold for several more years but probably not get any better than this. I have had several Laurenes too young apparently. My and the group's WOTN.
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Exceptionally good; from a magnum I've had for 12 years. Immediate nose of barnyard funk and damp earth, but never overpowering. Everything is in balance, including the secondary notes of cherry, vanilla, and oak. Perfect Oregon Pinot, very Burgundian in style but still Oregonian for sure. Could easily last 3-5 or more years in magnum format.
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I am often tempted to compare how a new world pinot would stack up against its Burgundian brethren. The similarities here are glaring - with one that I have not mentioned in the past - the most Burgundian thing about this bottle is that it is build to last for a long, long time - at 18 years old, this still tastes mostly primary with gobs of fruit and complexity that is enveloped within the structure. If tasted blind, I'd have probably guessed a 2005 1er cru. On the second night, the structure softens and the wine is drinking very well. I do have one more bottle, but I am tempted to put it away for another 5 years. This is fantastic and would throw off a lot of people in a blind tasting. 93++
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Getting old but still so lovely. Tons of cherry cola and barnyard funk at first, took about 10 minutes to start blowing off and becoming wonderful. So much fun.
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- Purple color with fast forming legs. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of acetic acid, hay/straw, black currant, black pepper and dusty with a light/medium body. Leathery texture with a long finish - Recd this bottle from brother last year. Wait for the second day to enjoy a very nice PN
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Looking back at my tasting note from several years ago, I see I had a lot to learn about wine. :)
This wine is terrific! Ponderous and wonderful, needs about 30 minutes to really open up and lose the initial barnyard elements. Floral and spicy depending on the cheese pairing, becomes juicier and more ripe than I recall from past tastings of this vintage. Superb. Still got a few years left at least.
Nice bottle of wine. Cork pristine. Very little bricking -- still medium purple-red. Very earthy aromatics; a number of secondary notes mixed in as well. Those characteristics carry over to the palate as well. One knock is that the wine picks up a bit of pruniness after having been open for a while (i.e., 90 mins or so).
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Pulled cork, poured in glass and started drinking one hour later surprisingly, aged to perfection! Expected the wine to be past its prime and not overly enjoyable. Brilliantly balanced, nice acidity and maintaining fruit on the palate - dark cherries. Fruit giving way to nice earthiness and spectacular terroir.
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Older Oregon Pinots (Wildwood, Portland OR): nose: feminine and lovely nose of roses, wild flowers, spice tones, red cherries, and a good dose of red fruits. This is very well balanced and draws you in nicely
taste: well balanced medium feel with medium+ acidity that is still noticeable along with demure and polished tones of roses, spices, red cherries, dark berries, herbs and red fruits. Complex on the palate, but not fully in harmony just yet
overall: this could still use a few more years to fully show off what it has to offer. Both the nose and palate are complex, but its lacking some of the layering that the 94 brought. This is definitely a wine to watch though as it seems to be a marathon runner
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Old Oregon Pinot Noir - Wine Berserker off-line (Wildwood restaurant - Portland, OR): The nose shows deep, rich cherries, some pie crust, and a little vanilla. The palate is full intensity right from the start, bright acidity along with ripe grapefruit, pomegranate, rhubarb, cherry and baking spices. Some age showing as well. Lots of structure still in play and it balances fairly well with the flavor intensity of the wine. Drinking good now but still has many years to go.
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Drank over two nights. Fairly thick legs. Interestingly, the nose very strongly smells of a Northern Rhone/Syrah. Even after extensive decanting, it still smells like a Syrah. Additionally, there's children's chewable asprin, and the smell when you first open a can of Play-Doh, as well as some oak lingering in the background. Initial palate is wonderfully well-balanced - a really harmonious balance of fruit, tannins and acidity: wow... really well done. The mid-palate gets a little lean as the acidity seems to take more of center stage. However, this is fleeting, as the fruit (or, as is the case, the secondary flavors) checks back in on the back palate and helps bring everything back into balance. There's elegance as well as some power (not necessarily an iron fist in a velvet glove, but still very poised and plenty of interest that keeps drawing you back to the glass). There's a little tart acidic pucker on the finish that keeps this bottle from really excelling, but, nonetheless, this is a really well-made bottle of wine. Well done DDO.
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Red wines at their peak with AuZone (AuZone, Stockholm): Medium red, lighter edge. Some volatile acidity that got milder with swirling, but didn’t go away, which made it not that complex in its aromas. Also some mild spices and barnyard in the nose. On the palate definitely sweetish, a little more than medium-bodied, some tar and red berries, rather good fruit concentration, some tannin. Although the nose indicated “over the hill”, the palate sticks together. 86-88 p? Difficult to evaluate; Pinot Noir wasn’t a common guess around the table.
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Medium-dark red with some transparency. Aromas of black cherry, strawberry, and vanilla. Flavors on the palate are dense and primary with blackberry, strawberry, cherry, a hint of licorice, a hint of allspice, plum, and vanilla. Sous bois and meat elements emerge on the long finish. This is defying its age and needs more time in the bottle to reach full maturity. It was enjoyable now, but has a lot in reserve. Resample in 2015? Drink or hold.
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Lots of cherry followed by strawberry and raspberry. Surprisingly primary. I have one left and will hold it for ten years. Lots of upside potential on the rating if 2ndary flavors emerge. Served with chicken roasted with tarragon and garlic, and chanterelle risotto.
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drinking great. lots of cherries and plums on the nose with pond funk,spices,and wet earth. nicely balanced between red fruits-wild cherries and strawberries,Asian Spice,cedar, and dirt. This is a nicely balanced Pinot-- smoke em if you got em.
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The first bottle I opened was oxidized and spoiled. I opened a second bottle which was fine. The secod bottle tasted of rich strawberries and rasspberries overlaying dark fruit and a hint of earth. Both bottles were acquired at the same time and properly stored. This experience is consistent with past experience with Domaine Drouhin in general. Simetimes I have experienced good improvement with aging but in a number of nstances I have been disappointed.
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this wine poured a bit cloudy and thick looking. initial nose showed a wonderful pond funk and wet moss which blew off and revealed plums,cherries,black pepper,tobacco,spice box and cedar.
mouth showed cherries,strawberries,plums and spice. the mouth feel seemed a bit off perhaps suffering from bottle shock? as it traveled about 600 miles in a car about 30 hours previous. I have a couple bottles left to determine that.
Overall the nose was great but mouthfeel was a bit off with a tad to much heat coming through. Something tells me this wine has more to it thus the 90 rating.
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Second of the nine Oregon pinots, w/ cherry, rasberry, and a touch of earth. Nice texture and balance. All of 9 these were on plateau or worse so drink up your '98's.
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Delicious, better than last time, clearly drinking well right now! If you have some, open a bottle and drink it with some world-class sushi. You will be glad you did.
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The wine takes me back to '98. Such a fruit-driven and vintage specific wine. Distinctive! Some color change because of age. Aromas of strawberry, cherry, raspberry, holly, barnyard, and earth. Savory flavors of plum, raspberry, cranberry, cola, oak, earth, and mushroom reserve liquid. Quite smooth. Very food friendly, but doesn't need to be paired with food. Fabulous mouthfeel and weight, and decadent enough to indulge in the moment of keeping the wine in your mouth awhile longer before swallowing.
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Lovely Oregon Pinot with a nice amount of bottle age. Luscious fruits with alcohol under control, classical style, elegant with long finish and great mouthfeel
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Aroma: This wine is all about the bouquet. Rich red cherry and blackberry with a bit of earthiness initially, then some (so help me!) maple, burnt toffee, hay, and vanilla aromas, followed by sour cherry and raspberry combined with secondary elements of cigar box, coffee, and a hint of the barnyard. Lovely!
Flavor: At first, slightly acidic and dry; never a fruit-forward wine, always very reserved and subtle. Sour cherries and raspberries, some mild tannic and slightly stronger acidic activity depending on the food pairing. A very mature, oaky, dry Pinot Noir that presents itself in an exceptionally reserved manner.
General impression: A very detailed and complicated wine, if that makes sense. The wine evolved over a couple of hours in the glass and certainly went better with some types of food than others. A complete chameleon of a wine, in fact: acidic and crisp with crab, verdant and ripe with kampachi, tannic with shrimp. Amazing.
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Capsule and cork in perfect condition. Strange off-putting funk on initailly opening the bottle. Blew off after 20 minutes. Ruby color with thinning at the rim. Minimal nose of red fruits and forest floor. Very light on the palate with hints of fruit, slight acidity. Insipid. Presumably this bottle is flawed in some fashion.
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SEATTLE DOES WEST COAST PINOT NOIR - Kaspar's, Seattle, WA (3/19/2005) Lovely flowers, slightly tart. I usually love this wine unconditionally, but I felt the 99 was showing better this particular night.
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Seattle Does West Coast Pinot Noir (Kaspar's, Seattle, WA): Simply lovely! Now this is what all Oregon pinots should be about. Very Burgundian in style. Fantastic earthy nose that builds as it opens up. Beautiful red fruits and fine, soft tannings that are richly balanced and satisfying. Slight hints of band-aid as time passes, but not enough to ruin what is a beautiful wine. Drink now and for the next 3 years. Wow...just great! WOTF and my WOTN.
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Drank this side by side with a 1998 Domaine Drouhin regular Pinot Noir. There was a significant and favorable difference that made me feel good about having paid extra for the Laurene. This wine was intense in both aroma and flavor. It had a deep, concentrated and long palate consisting of dark rasberry, dark cherry and vanilla with some earthy tones. It was very nice and seemed to have a long remaining bottle liffe.
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3/15/2024 - cct wrote: 94 Points
Pop and pour. Drunk over several hours.
At first la oamy ferrous, earth driven nose with undergrowth, bouillon, savory herbs and a mix of dark and red fruits. It fleshes out over a few hours, gains more fruit. It's midweighted and sapid with excellent palate presence, with breadth and intensity without heaviness. Savory and soil more than fruit driven. Structured, harmonious and balanced. Power and poise. Long. At peak. 94
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6/11/2022 - huevosconvino Likes this wine:
Impressively fresh, with strong acid even after 24 years. Remains my favorite vintage of this wine...red and black cherries with a subtle earthy texture and mild tannins. Precisely balanced, drinking flawlessly right now without decanting.
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12/26/2021 - huevosconvino Likes this wine: 99 Points
Perfect. Phenomenal wine, my favorite vintage of all time.
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2/22/2020 - senesd Likes this wine: 92 Points
deep red color. Classic Oregon point nose with some hints of barnyard earthiness. Great fruit /acid balance and finish. Still has a number of years if properly collared
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5/24/2018 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pop and pour. Drinking nicely, mellow and integrated with notes of mocha on the finish. WOTN versus 2008 Laurene and 2003 Willakenzie Pierre Leon.
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11/20/2017 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
Monday Night Football (Lion's den): I was just getting into wine when the 1998 vintage of Oregon Pinot Noir was released and remember being disappointed because I didn't like it as much as the accessible 1997. A sommelier told me it was actually considered a better vintage because it had something called "structure." I was not amused and didn't like this "structure" thing.
15 years later, wow! This beauty has aged gorgeously, gaining some of the Burgundian character in the body that makes aged Pinot Noir so special. The Oregon fruit is still present and I imagine this will hold for several more years but probably not get any better than this. I have had several Laurenes too young apparently. My and the group's WOTN.
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2/24/2017 - huevosconvino Likes this wine: 98 Points
Exceptionally good; from a magnum I've had for 12 years. Immediate nose of barnyard funk and damp earth, but never overpowering. Everything is in balance, including the secondary notes of cherry, vanilla, and oak. Perfect Oregon Pinot, very Burgundian in style but still Oregonian for sure. Could easily last 3-5 or more years in magnum format.
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1/14/2016 - pifcho Likes this wine: 93 Points
I am often tempted to compare how a new world pinot would stack up against its Burgundian brethren. The similarities here are glaring - with one that I have not mentioned in the past - the most Burgundian thing about this bottle is that it is build to last for a long, long time - at 18 years old, this still tastes mostly primary with gobs of fruit and complexity that is enveloped within the structure. If tasted blind, I'd have probably guessed a 2005 1er cru. On the second night, the structure softens and the wine is drinking very well. I do have one more bottle, but I am tempted to put it away for another 5 years. This is fantastic and would throw off a lot of people in a blind tasting. 93++
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8/20/2015 - huevosconvino Likes this wine:
Getting old but still so lovely. Tons of cherry cola and barnyard funk at first, took about 10 minutes to start blowing off and becoming wonderful. So much fun.
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5/19/2015 - huevosconvino Likes this wine:
Drinking beautifully right now; more fruit on the palate than before. Interesting development.
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5/17/2015 - nick.dean wrote: 92 Points
- Purple color with fast forming legs. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of acetic acid, hay/straw, black currant, black pepper and dusty with a light/medium body. Leathery texture with a long finish - Recd this bottle from brother last year. Wait for the second day to enjoy a very nice PN
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12/27/2014 - huevosconvino Likes this wine: 96 Points
Looking back at my tasting note from several years ago, I see I had a lot to learn about wine. :)
This wine is terrific! Ponderous and wonderful, needs about 30 minutes to really open up and lose the initial barnyard elements. Floral and spicy depending on the cheese pairing, becomes juicier and more ripe than I recall from past tastings of this vintage. Superb. Still got a few years left at least.
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12/26/2014 - arthrovine wrote:
Lots of austere pruney red fruit with detracting VA on the nose and palate following pnp.
After an hour of slow ox and glass aeration, subsidence of prunes flavors and subtle decrease in VA occurred.
Decent. Palatable. Was expecting a lot more. I think this was a hot vintage, though.
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9/22/2013 - Sycamore Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice bottle of wine. Cork pristine. Very little bricking -- still medium purple-red. Very earthy aromatics; a number of secondary notes mixed in as well. Those characteristics carry over to the palate as well. One knock is that the wine picks up a bit of pruniness after having been open for a while (i.e., 90 mins or so).
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5/9/2013 - RJ&JJ Likes this wine: 92 Points
Amazing bottle of pinot noir from the incredible 1998 vintage.
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11/26/2012 - jbouchy wrote: 93 Points
Pulled cork, poured in glass and started drinking one hour later surprisingly, aged to perfection! Expected the wine to be past its prime and not overly enjoyable. Brilliantly balanced, nice acidity and maintaining fruit on the palate - dark cherries. Fruit giving way to nice earthiness and spectacular terroir.
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7/30/2011 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Older Oregon Pinots (Wildwood, Portland OR): nose: feminine and lovely nose of roses, wild flowers, spice tones, red cherries, and a good dose of red fruits. This is very well balanced and draws you in nicely
taste: well balanced medium feel with medium+ acidity that is still noticeable along with demure and polished tones of roses, spices, red cherries, dark berries, herbs and red fruits. Complex on the palate, but not fully in harmony just yet
overall: this could still use a few more years to fully show off what it has to offer. Both the nose and palate are complex, but its lacking some of the layering that the 94 brought. This is definitely a wine to watch though as it seems to be a marathon runner
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7/30/2011 - gripNsip wrote: 92 Points
Old Oregon Pinot Noir - Wine Berserker off-line (Wildwood restaurant - Portland, OR): The nose shows deep, rich cherries, some pie crust, and a little vanilla. The palate is full intensity right from the start, bright acidity along with ripe grapefruit, pomegranate, rhubarb, cherry and baking spices. Some age showing as well. Lots of structure still in play and it balances fairly well with the flavor intensity of the wine. Drinking good now but still has many years to go.
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6/21/2011 - oldgrowth45 wrote:
Drank over two nights. Fairly thick legs. Interestingly, the nose very strongly smells of a Northern Rhone/Syrah. Even after extensive decanting, it still smells like a Syrah. Additionally, there's children's chewable asprin, and the smell when you first open a can of Play-Doh, as well as some oak lingering in the background. Initial palate is wonderfully well-balanced - a really harmonious balance of fruit, tannins and acidity: wow... really well done. The mid-palate gets a little lean as the acidity seems to take more of center stage. However, this is fleeting, as the fruit (or, as is the case, the secondary flavors) checks back in on the back palate and helps bring everything back into balance. There's elegance as well as some power (not necessarily an iron fist in a velvet glove, but still very poised and plenty of interest that keeps drawing you back to the glass). There's a little tart acidic pucker on the finish that keeps this bottle from really excelling, but, nonetheless, this is a really well-made bottle of wine. Well done DDO.
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12/30/2010 - Vintomas wrote: 87 Points
Red wines at their peak with AuZone (AuZone, Stockholm): Medium red, lighter edge. Some volatile acidity that got milder with swirling, but didn’t go away, which made it not that complex in its aromas. Also some mild spices and barnyard in the nose. On the palate definitely sweetish, a little more than medium-bodied, some tar and red berries, rather good fruit concentration, some tannin. Although the nose indicated “over the hill”, the palate sticks together. 86-88 p?
Difficult to evaluate; Pinot Noir wasn’t a common guess around the table.
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12/10/2010 - fredb Likes this wine:
Medium-dark red with some transparency. Aromas of black cherry, strawberry, and vanilla. Flavors on the palate are dense and primary with blackberry, strawberry, cherry, a hint of licorice, a hint of allspice, plum, and vanilla. Sous bois and meat elements emerge on the long finish. This is defying its age and needs more time in the bottle to reach full maturity. It was enjoyable now, but has a lot in reserve. Resample in 2015? Drink or hold.
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3/25/2010 - suttonri wrote: 89 Points
Lots of cherry followed by strawberry and raspberry. Surprisingly primary. I have one left and will hold it for ten years. Lots of upside potential on the rating if 2ndary flavors emerge. Served with chicken roasted with tarragon and garlic, and chanterelle risotto.
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3/14/2010 - SkyCellar wrote: 92 Points
Excellent. An extremely good wine.
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5/30/2009 - LeatherPalate wrote: 92 Points
drinking great. lots of cherries and plums on the nose with pond funk,spices,and wet earth.
nicely balanced between red fruits-wild cherries and strawberries,Asian Spice,cedar, and dirt.
This is a nicely balanced Pinot-- smoke em if you got em.
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4/16/2009 - Redteeth wrote:
The first bottle I opened was oxidized and spoiled. I opened a second bottle which was fine. The secod bottle tasted of rich strawberries and rasspberries overlaying dark fruit and a hint of earth. Both bottles were acquired at the same time and properly stored. This experience is consistent with past experience with Domaine Drouhin in general. Simetimes I have experienced good improvement with aging but in a number of nstances I have been disappointed.
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3/24/2009 - LeatherPalate wrote: 90 Points
this wine poured a bit cloudy and thick looking.
initial nose showed a wonderful pond funk and wet moss which blew off and revealed plums,cherries,black pepper,tobacco,spice box and cedar.
mouth showed cherries,strawberries,plums and spice. the mouth feel seemed a bit off perhaps suffering from bottle shock?
as it traveled about 600 miles in a car about 30 hours previous. I have a couple bottles left to determine that.
Overall the nose was great but mouthfeel was a bit off with a tad to much heat coming through. Something tells me this wine
has more to it thus the 90 rating.
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11/9/2008 - Grinner wrote: 90 Points
Second of the nine Oregon pinots, w/ cherry, rasberry, and a touch of earth. Nice texture and balance. All of 9 these were on plateau or worse so drink up your '98's.
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8/3/2008 - huevosconvino wrote: 95 Points
Clearly this wine is near or at its peak; drink yours now if you have it, it's wonderful!
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5/29/2008 - huevosconvino wrote: 94 Points
Delicious, better than last time, clearly drinking well right now! If you have some, open a bottle and drink it with some world-class sushi. You will be glad you did.
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2/9/2008 - Appreciative wrote:
The wine takes me back to '98. Such a fruit-driven and vintage specific wine. Distinctive! Some color change because of age. Aromas of strawberry, cherry, raspberry, holly, barnyard, and earth. Savory flavors of plum, raspberry, cranberry, cola, oak, earth, and mushroom reserve liquid. Quite smooth. Very food friendly, but doesn't need to be paired with food. Fabulous mouthfeel and weight, and decadent enough to indulge in the moment of keeping the wine in your mouth awhile longer before swallowing.
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3/10/2007 - 1800kidney wrote: 92 Points
Lovely Oregon Pinot with a nice amount of bottle age. Luscious fruits with alcohol under control, classical style, elegant with long finish and great mouthfeel
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1/26/2007 - huevosconvino wrote: 93 Points
Aroma: This wine is all about the bouquet. Rich red cherry and blackberry with a bit of earthiness initially, then some (so help me!) maple, burnt toffee, hay, and vanilla aromas, followed by sour cherry and raspberry combined with secondary elements of cigar box, coffee, and a hint of the barnyard. Lovely!
Flavor: At first, slightly acidic and dry; never a fruit-forward wine, always very reserved and subtle. Sour cherries and raspberries, some mild tannic and slightly stronger acidic activity depending on the food pairing. A very mature, oaky, dry Pinot Noir that presents itself in an exceptionally reserved manner.
General impression: A very detailed and complicated wine, if that makes sense. The wine evolved over a couple of hours in the glass and certainly went better with some types of food than others. A complete chameleon of a wine, in fact: acidic and crisp with crab, verdant and ripe with kampachi, tannic with shrimp. Amazing.
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8/7/2005 - teekayfl wrote: 81 Points
Capsule and cork in perfect condition. Strange off-putting funk on initailly opening the bottle. Blew off after 20 minutes. Ruby color with thinning at the rim. Minimal nose of red fruits and forest floor. Very light on the palate with hints of fruit, slight acidity. Insipid. Presumably this bottle is flawed in some fashion.
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3/19/2005 - zbrad wrote: 92 Points
SEATTLE DOES WEST COAST PINOT NOIR - Kaspar's, Seattle, WA (3/19/2005)
Lovely flowers, slightly tart. I usually love this wine unconditionally, but I felt the 99 was showing better this particular night.
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3/19/2005 - DFC wrote: 93 Points
Seattle Does West Coast Pinot Noir (Kaspar's, Seattle, WA): Simply lovely! Now this is what all Oregon pinots should be about. Very Burgundian in style. Fantastic earthy nose that builds as it opens up. Beautiful red fruits and fine, soft tannings that are richly balanced and satisfying. Slight hints of band-aid as time passes, but not enough to ruin what is a beautiful wine. Drink now and for the next 3 years. Wow...just great! WOTF and my WOTN.
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11/11/2004 - Redteeth wrote: 92 Points
Drank this side by side with a 1998 Domaine Drouhin regular Pinot Noir. There was a significant and favorable difference that made me feel good about having paid extra for the Laurene. This wine was intense in both aroma and flavor. It had a deep, concentrated and long palate consisting of dark rasberry, dark cherry and vanilla with some earthy tones. It was very nice and seemed to have a long remaining bottle liffe.
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