2004 Ayres Vineyard Pinot Noir Pioneer Willamette Valley

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 85 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Portland Pinot Pigs's profile
  • Report Issue

  12/21/2013 - Portland Pinot Pigs Likes this wine: 85 Points

  We purchased a few of these rare bottles at a vertical tasting at the winery in 2013. We then replicated the vertical at home with some friends. This one was felt to be a bit over its peak drinking window, but still good. It is really dark red, almost black in the glass. The acids remain fairly high, surprisingly, though there is still tannin to be found here. All Dijon clone 667. Still get cassis, pepper, graphite but the fruit is fading a bit now. This wine is much improved by food pairing, in our case a sharp cheddar (Cougar Gold) with whole grain crackers. Next time a hearty pork or beef loin would be a good match.
  
  Winemaker Brad McLeroy was transitioning from his role as cellar master at nearby Domaine Drouhin to his own winery when this wine was produced. One can see the skill he has developed, even in only his 2nd vintage of this special vineyard designate pinot. If you ever have the chance to taste the wine from this producer, you won't be disappointed.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.