"Wow" wines (Jason's House): This bottle was not nearly as good as one we had 2 years ago. Initially, this was silky, elegant, and yet too big. There is some anise and slightly candied fruit. With time, the alcohol showed up and increased in strength. The table was surmising that they probably wouldn't guess pinot noir if this was tasted blind, and I agree. The pluses and minuses of this wine skew it slightly below my idea of a "happy to drink but average" wine.
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Wines that "wow" you (Jason's House): I am amazed every time I drink this wine at the fruit still present for such an old Oregon wine! This bottle was not as good as previous bottles, but still delicious! Some thought this wine was showing its age, as fruit had faded and some heat was present. I really did not notice the heat on the wine, but the acidity was still there and the wine, while very fruit forward, still showed signs of some fading fruit. Myself, I am not sure if this was due to bottle age or bottle variation. I think this signature wine at Domaine Serene, shows why the winery has had so much success, in spite of the spotty manner in which they treat visitors of their winery. This wine displayed cherries and bright red fruit on the nose, with hints of blueberry and violets. On the palate, baked cherries and blueberry pie dominated with some Asian spice and a touch of citrus. I have one bottle left, and will likely open it sooner than later. A delicious wine, and one of the pinnacle wines in Oregon (although, I would say a little overpriced, but if money is no object!)
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Guy's Night Out: Wow Wines (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Dark red color. Followed a glass over an hour next to the '05 version. Big style, extracted fruit that is baked and fading. The heat of the vintage is all over this. There was likely a point in its younger days where this held things together. But the aging curve and hot vintages don't usually compliment one another and that was the case here. You still get that sense of syrupy, liqueurish black fruits, but it can no longer hold its ground against the alcohol. After Jason so generously opened a 2005 version for comparison, it was even more dramatic. Ths '05 was still in a very good place.
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Coravin; G10; 4.5+8*+4.5+8.5*+9+4.5+4.5=94; Really, this wine surprised me. Let's start with the '03 Oregon vintage, which was over-ripe and has been "done" for several years, so I was expecting this to be a fruit bomb and flaccid. Yes, it has plenty of fruit (cherry, ripe strawberry), but it is well balanced with great structure and acidity. Color is still great (garnet with no bricking). Aromas are light (drank from Burgundy bowl) with nice red berry, cinnamon, and earth, which are matched to the palate with addition of some smoky caramel and a bit of orange leading to a creamy smooth mouthfeel and nice long penetrating and mouthwatering finish. Great winemaking and this could still cellar for a few years, but it is great right now with a bit of aeration dispensing from the Coravin and an added 10-15 minutes in the glass to wake it from a 15-year slumber. And yes, it is over-priced, but it was really good, so I will not complain. I know I am paying for an ego and a mission to propel Oregon Pinot into a rarefied place through $$. Thankfully, the wine was very respectable. Would definitely pick this as "Oregon" Pinot. Not Cali-like and not Burgundian.
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One of the best pinots I have had from any country. This wine, even at 14 years old is still youthful and absolutely delicious! The wine still looks young with no bricking and a deep saturated color. It is pretty full bodied with long, slow legs. On the nose is dark red and black fruit, a hint of cherry and cedar, and a slight perfumed scent. On the palate, the fruit is still youthful and bursting with cherry, blueberry, and some blackberry, with hints of raspberry, strawberry, cedar and spice. The finish is quite long and the wine begs for continual sipping. This wine was my WOTN, followed by a 2012 Domaine Drouhin Lourene, with a 2009 Thomas a distant third. If you like big fruity pinots, that are complex and show no alcohol, this wine rocks. Not inexpensive, but for my palate, definitely worth the money! A wine that, in my opinion, can give Burgundy a run for their money in terms of flavor and longevity! I would say this wine has another 10 years in it.
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Non-Blind Very Nice Reds (St. Genevieve): Slow O'd for over an hour. I would not have guessed this wine to be from 2003, and I probably wouldn't have guessed pinot noir either. It is relatively substantial, lots of fruit and the oak is still fairly evident. This rather strikes me as a steak-house wine. Soft, flashy, fruity and slurpy tasty. This is a modern rich fruit-forward style.
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Wedding weekend wine tasting! (Willamette Valley): The wine which first taught us that Domaine Serene is making maybe some of the best wine in the Willamette. This was great - a bit fruit forward, very yummy, some balancing spice on the end of the mouthful. Beautiful wine. I liked it a bit less than the '02, but still delicious. Also - just a hint of alcohol which prob needed some time to blow off.
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Back in the Willamette; 2/15/2015-2/20/2015 (Willamette Valley): This wine was still a baby - could easily have gone another decade or two. Very tightly wound. We opened it and let it air for prob 30 minutes before we drank, but didn't end up decanting. In retrospect prob could have used one. Drank more like a cab lovers pinot - heavier fruit flavors - some black as well as red fruit. Some oakiness. Good wine, but would be much better with more time I suspect.
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Willamette with a touch of Wedding Planning (or vice versa); 7/2/2014-7/4/2014 (Willamette Valley): Poured from a Coravin and aside from a few swirls we drank almost immediately. This was a 'wow' wine - my favorite of everything we tasted that day (we found out the price after the fact and it was also the priciest wine we tasted by far so I suppose it ought to have been good). This was heading the way a nice aged Pinot does - clean and crisp on the palette with that sleekness that you get in a good Burgundy after you've been patient. A background flavor of cloves was the first sense I had, but then I was aware of some mildly sour fruit (think slightly unripe cranberries, currants, etc.). Very balanced. Very elegant. Delicious.
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Purple/red color with aromas of baked pie, frsh cherry and blueberry. Benchmark Pinot Noir flavors with fresh cherry juice. Slightly out of balance with the high acid (which I like) and alcohol. I think time will mellow this. Nice 10 second finish.
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Best american pinot I've tasted by far. This manages to come across as big and elegant at the same time somehow. Best after about an hour decant. Is its worth the huge price tag... probably not, what is? But for a special occasion this wine rocks. Have one left and will be holding on for a few more years.
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Medium ruby with tinges of apricot colouring. Exceptional bouquet. Velvety smooth and a long evolving finish. Hard to taste any alcohol in this wonderful elixar - really a great wine.
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Dense and dark - cassis and spice notes. Full-bodied but quite firm, with a tannic grip and compact profile. More Cabernet-like with time, but also smoothed out quite well. Can't justify the tarriff by a long shot, but enjoyable.
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7/20/2019 - Acohen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich dark cherry with cinnamon, good balance and a lush finish
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6/6/2019 - galewskj wrote: 87 Points
"Wow" wines (Jason's House): This bottle was not nearly as good as one we had 2 years ago. Initially, this was silky, elegant, and yet too big. There is some anise and slightly candied fruit. With time, the alcohol showed up and increased in strength. The table was surmising that they probably wouldn't guess pinot noir if this was tasted blind, and I agree. The pluses and minuses of this wine skew it slightly below my idea of a "happy to drink but average" wine.
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6/6/2019 - For the Love of Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wines that "wow" you (Jason's House): I am amazed every time I drink this wine at the fruit still present for such an old Oregon wine! This bottle was not as good as previous bottles, but still delicious! Some thought this wine was showing its age, as fruit had faded and some heat was present. I really did not notice the heat on the wine, but the acidity was still there and the wine, while very fruit forward, still showed signs of some fading fruit. Myself, I am not sure if this was due to bottle age or bottle variation. I think this signature wine at Domaine Serene, shows why the winery has had so much success, in spite of the spotty manner in which they treat visitors of their winery. This wine displayed cherries and bright red fruit on the nose, with hints of blueberry and violets. On the palate, baked cherries and blueberry pie dominated with some Asian spice and a touch of citrus. I have one bottle left, and will likely open it sooner than later. A delicious wine, and one of the pinnacle wines in Oregon (although, I would say a little overpriced, but if money is no object!)
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6/6/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 88 Points
Guy's Night Out: Wow Wines (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Dark red color. Followed a glass over an hour next to the '05 version. Big style, extracted fruit that is baked and fading. The heat of the vintage is all over this. There was likely a point in its younger days where this held things together. But the aging curve and hot vintages don't usually compliment one another and that was the case here. You still get that sense of syrupy, liqueurish black fruits, but it can no longer hold its ground against the alcohol. After Jason so generously opened a 2005 version for comparison, it was even more dramatic. Ths '05 was still in a very good place.
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1/2/2019 - learningandenjoying Likes this wine: 94 Points
Coravin; G10; 4.5+8*+4.5+8.5*+9+4.5+4.5=94; Really, this wine surprised me. Let's start with the '03 Oregon vintage, which was over-ripe and has been "done" for several years, so I was expecting this to be a fruit bomb and flaccid. Yes, it has plenty of fruit (cherry, ripe strawberry), but it is well balanced with great structure and acidity. Color is still great (garnet with no bricking). Aromas are light (drank from Burgundy bowl) with nice red berry, cinnamon, and earth, which are matched to the palate with addition of some smoky caramel and a bit of orange leading to a creamy smooth mouthfeel and nice long penetrating and mouthwatering finish. Great winemaking and this could still cellar for a few years, but it is great right now with a bit of aeration dispensing from the Coravin and an added 10-15 minutes in the glass to wake it from a 15-year slumber. And yes, it is over-priced, but it was really good, so I will not complain. I know I am paying for an ego and a mission to propel Oregon Pinot into a rarefied place through $$. Thankfully, the wine was very respectable. Would definitely pick this as "Oregon" Pinot. Not Cali-like and not Burgundian.
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3/19/2017 - For the Love of Wine Likes this wine: 97 Points
One of the best pinots I have had from any country. This wine, even at 14 years old is still youthful and absolutely delicious! The wine still looks young with no bricking and a deep saturated color. It is pretty full bodied with long, slow legs. On the nose is dark red and black fruit, a hint of cherry and cedar, and a slight perfumed scent. On the palate, the fruit is still youthful and bursting with cherry, blueberry, and some blackberry, with hints of raspberry, strawberry, cedar and spice. The finish is quite long and the wine begs for continual sipping. This wine was my WOTN, followed by a 2012 Domaine Drouhin Lourene, with a 2009 Thomas a distant third. If you like big fruity pinots, that are complex and show no alcohol, this wine rocks. Not inexpensive, but for my palate, definitely worth the money! A wine that, in my opinion, can give Burgundy a run for their money in terms of flavor and longevity! I would say this wine has another 10 years in it.
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3/19/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 89 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Blind Pinots Worldwide (Meritage, St. Paul): Small pour; massive, OTT, ultra ripe, more Cali styled than Oregon. Shows the heat of the vintage, dark fruits, oak, glycerine, syrupy. Not my style. If you want 'em big and atypical, go for it.
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8/5/2016 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Non-Blind Very Nice Reds (St. Genevieve): Slow O'd for over an hour. I would not have guessed this wine to be from 2003, and I probably wouldn't have guessed pinot noir either. It is relatively substantial, lots of fruit and the oak is still fairly evident. This rather strikes me as a steak-house wine. Soft, flashy, fruity and slurpy tasty. This is a modern rich fruit-forward style.
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10/11/2015 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wedding weekend wine tasting! (Willamette Valley): The wine which first taught us that Domaine Serene is making maybe some of the best wine in the Willamette. This was great - a bit fruit forward, very yummy, some balancing spice on the end of the mouthful. Beautiful wine. I liked it a bit less than the '02, but still delicious. Also - just a hint of alcohol which prob needed some time to blow off.
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2/20/2015 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Back in the Willamette; 2/15/2015-2/20/2015 (Willamette Valley): This wine was still a baby - could easily have gone another decade or two. Very tightly wound. We opened it and let it air for prob 30 minutes before we drank, but didn't end up decanting. In retrospect prob could have used one. Drank more like a cab lovers pinot - heavier fruit flavors - some black as well as red fruit. Some oakiness. Good wine, but would be much better with more time I suspect.
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7/2/2014 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Willamette with a touch of Wedding Planning (or vice versa); 7/2/2014-7/4/2014 (Willamette Valley): Poured from a Coravin and aside from a few swirls we drank almost immediately. This was a 'wow' wine - my favorite of everything we tasted that day (we found out the price after the fact and it was also the priciest wine we tasted by far so I suppose it ought to have been good). This was heading the way a nice aged Pinot does - clean and crisp on the palette with that sleekness that you get in a good Burgundy after you've been patient. A background flavor of cloves was the first sense I had, but then I was aware of some mildly sour fruit (think slightly unripe cranberries, currants, etc.). Very balanced. Very elegant. Delicious.
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2/21/2014 - Acohen Likes this wine: 90 Points
Needs time to open up and while nice balance, took time for fruit and finish to come through
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12/29/2013 - Amerique wrote: 94 Points
rich, delicious, fresh
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10/7/2012 - Acohen wrote: 95 Points
Big, rich, elegant and structured. Had tremendous red fruit but great balance and finish
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3/21/2011 - rwstorer wrote: 92 Points
Purple/red color with aromas of baked pie, frsh cherry and blueberry. Benchmark Pinot Noir flavors with fresh cherry juice. Slightly out of balance with the high acid (which I like) and alcohol. I think time will mellow this. Nice 10 second finish.
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2/12/2011 - ScubaSommelier wrote: 93 Points
Not sure our food pairing was right for this, but overall it was very nice. I will say it doesn't have more than a few more years of drinking window.
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4/10/2010 - h20medic wrote: 99 Points
To date, this is the best Pinot I've ever tasted. It was smooth with bold fruit. It was absolutely fantastic.
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1/29/2010 - idrinkvino wrote: 92 Points
Not showing nearly as well as in prior tastings. Starting to quiet?
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11/8/2009 - idrinkvino wrote: 94 Points
Still exceptional, although the wine seems to have picked up a noticable weight and that has thickened the sensation.
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2/15/2009 - stoll wrote: 96 Points
Best american pinot I've tasted by far. This manages to come across as big and elegant at the same time somehow. Best after about an hour decant. Is its worth the huge price tag... probably not, what is? But for a special occasion this wine rocks. Have one left and will be holding on for a few more years.
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12/14/2008 - idrinkvino wrote: 95 Points
Second time around just as good as the first. One of the few American Pinot's that can best many named Burgundies.
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5/11/2008 - idrinkvino wrote: 95 Points
Medium ruby with tinges of apricot colouring. Exceptional bouquet. Velvety smooth and a long evolving finish. Hard to taste any alcohol in this wonderful elixar - really a great wine.
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1/9/2008 - psmith wrote:
Dense and dark - cassis and spice notes. Full-bodied but quite firm, with a tannic grip and compact profile. More Cabernet-like with time, but also smoothed out quite well. Can't justify the tarriff by a long shot, but enjoyable.
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