2000 Cameron Pinot Noir Abbey Ridge

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 94 points

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  10/26/2019 - OregonLoafer Likes this wine:

  Tl;dr: Drink or hold but give this at least 6 hours of air before drinking it so the intense funk can blow off and the gorgeous, singular wine lurking beneath can reveal itself. Also, stand it up for a few days beforehand as there’s tons of fine sediment.
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  Wow. Upon opening, this was chock full of intense funk, was ragingly tart, and tasted like a sour beer or a farmhouse cider. I kind of wrote it off as full of brett. Poured a couple glasses at noon and let them sit, then put the cork back on the bottle.
  
  Tasting occasionally over the next several hours, the barnyard smell and taste faded a *bit* in intensity but still dominated everything else, and the tartness definitely remained. Oh well, I figured it would be pretty good with some food. And indeed, after being open for five hours it was very appealing with some Brie on olive ciabatta, and an hour later alongside a plate of wild mushroom and sausage pasta (shout out to the mind-blowing Italian-centric recipes in Joshua McFadden’s cookbook “Six Seasons”).
  
  But at 8:30, after putting the kid down and cleaning up, the wife and I sat down for the last third of the bottle and HOLY LORD miracle of miracles the distracting sour funk and blown off completely, the tartness moderated, and the wine hiding underneath it all came out to shine.
  
  And what a wine! Cherry pie filling, smoke, some licorice- or Ricola- like mountain herbs, dirty fresh black Oregon truffles. Light at 12.5% abv, but all of the flavors combine with the mature tannins in a texture that’s utterly luxurious and highly sensual, yet light and airily delicate.
  
  Fully 9.5 hours after opening, this 19-year-old wine was still getting better when the last drop was finished. If I had more bottles, I wouldn’t feel rushed to drink them for fear they’re getting over the hill, but I probably wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off them.

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  10/3/2016 - goodvitis.com Likes this wine: 97 Points

  Nose: gorgeous, big nose of candied and tart cherries, tutti fruiti, dark soil and banana leaf. Palate: rich, deep cherries, smoke, candied bacon, tar and hickory flavoring. It's smokey and perfectly ripe with mild but rich mushroom funk. Full bodied, fully integrated wood tannin with a bit of skin tannin still peaking through. There's a perfect level of underlying sweetness to this that does not distract from the Earthy and savory notes. Very Burgundian in style and weight, this is a top-5 wine of all time for me.

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  10/2/2016 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 94 Points

  Magnum Fest (Weygandt Wines - Washington, D.C.): What a cool wine. Smells like sweet cherries and strawberry rhubarb mixed with rose hips, potting soil, mushroom and beef broth. Tart acidity on the palate with mild tannins but the wine is still held together nicely. Tart strawberries and sour cherries, the fruit is blended with pickles, roses, tar and mushroom. Complexity meets elegance. Long and profound finish. Really fascinating stuff.

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  11/22/2012 - Veloman Likes this wine:

  Color is slightly pale and showing some age; nice aromatics with classic pinot nose and earthy notes, a bit of the Cameron funk but safely on the enoyable side of the barnyard line. Medium bodied, with decent red fruit and spice, but coming across as a little tired slightly dried out. Tannins fully resolved, nice hints of spice on the finish. Tasty enough, but definitely will drink the remaining bottle soon, as it's certainly peaked. Enjoyed with Thanksgiving dinner at friends.'

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  5/22/2008 - Rick Allen wrote: 91 Points

  For funk/barnyard lovers only! Medium garnet color, no bricking. The nose started out very funky, but over time cherries, violets, and a little oak mix with the subsiding barnyard. On the palate, the wine shows concentrated cherries and raspberries, with some spicy notes as well. The oak shows itself slightly in the backgound. Nice balance, excellent mid-palate, and a very good finish that would have been better except for a slight bitter streak.

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