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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2018 and 2024 (based on 27 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.2 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 11 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by walkerjfw on 5/20/2023 & rated 92 points: With friends in our cellar in New Hope, had this with some cheeses pre-dinner. Splash decanted, drank about half within an hour, saving the rest for post dinner a few hours later.
From 2020 notes:"Dark translucent ruby color. Nose showing bright red fruits and floral notes. Palate of black raspberry, cherry cola, floral pastille, spice. Palate was juicy and energetic...fruit forward but lasting through mod palate. Medium weight and long (ish)finish."
Mostly consistent, this was ready right out of the bottle, continuing to evolve over the course of the evening. Black raspberry and spice notable in this tasting, persists through mid palate.
Drinking nicely at 8 years in, should go a while at this level but no reason to wait... (329 views) | | | Tasted by MichielV on 4/17/2023 & rated 90 points: W crispy cheese breaded chicken. Good combo. Nice wine with age noticable. Good fruit - tight body and decent length. Drink now (329 views) | | | Tasted by 87tellub on 3/2/2023 & rated 91 points: PnP. A bright medium/dark ruby. A healthy amount of expressive and ripe fruit hits you on the nose, reddish/black berries, traces of sweeter baking spices. Palate has nice freshness, with notes of damp tea leaves, small firm berries, some oaky notes into the finish. Pretty nice.
Lovely to consume. A modern pinot but not over-done, that tastes much younger than its eight years would indicate. (363 views) | | | Tasted by ccarter5181 on 9/3/2022 & rated 91 points: Similar to the first bottle tasted 2 years ago. Excellent. Nice richness and fruit concentration for Pinot Noir but still maintaining freshness and good acidity. Some nice secondary elements. (407 views) | | | Tasted by ccarter5181 on 6/19/2021 & rated 89 points: Quite a step down from the last bottle 15 months ago. This one seemed a bit flat overall. Hopefully my last bottle is more like the first. (598 views) | | | Tasted by walkerjfw on 4/7/2020 & rated 92 points: First bottle from a batch bought at release. PnP, drank over 2 nights.
Dark translucent ruby color. Nose showing bright red fruits and floral notes. Palate of black raspberry, cherry cola, floral pastille, spice. Palate was juicy and energetic...fruit forward but lasting through mod palate. Medium weight and long (ish)finish.
I thought this might need more time, but its really drinking well now. Great representation of Oregon/Yamhill from a solid vintage. Five years in its still feels young/vibrant. Hard to tell how long this will go. Some of my Oregon wines have surprised to the upside with longevity - but they drink really well early in their life. (752 views) | | | Tasted by ccarter5181 on 3/7/2020 & rated 91 points: 20 min. decant. Excellent overall. Impressive concentration for Pinot Noir, quite rich. Nice full fruit flavours with some interesting secondary elements. Nice well-balanced acidity. Elegant wine. (636 views) | | | Tasted by dharrison93 on 10/6/2018 & rated 93 points: Drank with friends after a brief decant paired with seafood at a terrific local Realais & Chateaux restaurant:
La BohemeIt was everything that is great about Oregon Pinot Noir: Lively vibrant complex fruit nose of black cherry, raspberry & currant with the faintest whiff of gooseberry restrained muscular backbone knit together with tight elegant tannins framed with crisp acidity. Charm, grace, complexity and elegant power.
There's not much stuffing here so it's best enjoyed within 3-5 years lest it starts to droop.
If a date, this was a 20 year old terribly bright beautiful college student; A very dynamic interesting personality but without serious road mileage for adult conversation.
Highly recommended and delicious now- 2023. (1648 views) | | | Tasted by 87tellub on 8/14/2018 & rated 91 points: Bright shimmery purple. Nose is cherry, some flowers, spice, but in the background of what is a more expressive palate. Very forward palate that is tasty. Juicy. Gives you some of that cherry cola, some plum skin, and has some finesse to it. A little tight and tart if I'm being critical - better on day 2 in that regard. (1010 views) |
| Elk Cove Vineyards Producer websitePinot Noir Varietal character (Appellation America) | Varietal article (Wikipedia)
Pinot Noir is the Noble red grape of Burgundy, capable of ripening in a cooler climate, which Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will not reliably do. It is unpredictable and difficult both to grow and to vinify, but results in some of the finest reds in the world. It is believed to have been selected from wild vines two thousand years ago. It is also used in the production of champagne. In fact, more Pinot Noir goes into Champagne than is used in all of the Cote d'Or! It is also grown in Alsace, Jura, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, and so forth, with varying degrees of success.
Pinot Noir is one of the world's most prestigious grapes. It is very difficult to grow and thrives well in France, especially in Champagne and Burgundy. Pinot Noir thrives less in hot areas, is picky on soil, and deserves some oak storage.
Pinot Noir, or Blauburgunder / Spätburgunder in German, is a blue grapevine - and, as the German name suggests, the grape comes originally from Burgundy in France.
The grape, which thrives in calcareous soils, is used primarily for the production of red wine, and it is widely regarded as producing some of the best wines in the world. The wine style is often medium-bodied with high fruit acidity and soft tannins. It can be quite peculiar in fragrance and taste, and not least in structure - which may be why it is referred to as "The Grapes Ballerina".
Pinot Noir is also an important ingredient in sparkling wines, not least in champagne since it is fruity, has good acidity and contains relatively little tannins.
The grape is considered quite demanding to grow. The class itself consists of tightly packed grapes, which makes it more sensitive to rot and other diseases.
Pinot Noir changes quite easily and is genetically unstable. It buds and matures early which results in it often being well ripened. Climate is important for this type of grape. It likes best in cool climates - in warm climates the wines can be relaxed and slightly pickled.
In cooler climates, the wine can get a hint of cabbage and wet leaves, while in slightly warmer regions we often find notes of red berries (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants), roses and slightly green notes when the wine is young. With age, more complex aromas of forest floor, fungi and meat emerge.
In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, it often produces light wines with less character. However, it has produced very good results in California, Oregon and New Zealand.
With its soft tannins and delicate aroma, it is excellent for white fish, chicken and light meat. For the stored wines you can serve small game. Classic duck breast is a matter of course, a Boeuf Burgundy and Pinot Noir are pure happiness.
Pinot Noir loses quality by over-harvesting.
Pinot Noir is prone to diseases, especially rot and mildew. Viruses cause major problems especially in Burgundy.
Pinot Noir are large round grapes with thin skins. Relatively high in alcohol content. Medium rich tannins and good with acid.
As a young person, Pinot Noir has a distinctly fruity character such as raspberries, cherries and strawberries.
A mature Pinot Noir, the taste is different. Cherry goes into plum and prune flavors. It smells of rotten leaves, coffee, moist forest floor and animal wine. This must be experienced.
In warm climates you find boiled plum, some rustic, little acid.
If the grapes are over-grown, the wine will be thin, with little color and flavor.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.Oregon Oregon Wine, Oregon Wineries (Oregon Wine Board)Willamette Valley Willamette Valley Wineries Association | Willamette Valley (Oregon Wine Board)
On weinlagen-info including some single vineyards
Willamette Valley Vintage Reviews
Willamette Valley Willamette Valley Wineries Association | Willamette Valley AVA Wikipedia article
#2012 vintage:
"Broadly speaking, the Willamette Valley's 2012 pinots are fleshy and fruit-dominated, with round tannins and forward personalities. The fruit tends to the darker side of the pinot spectrum--think cherry and blackberry rather than strawberry and raspberry, much less cranberry and redcurrant--and this gives the wines massive crowd appeal. The best wines also have the depth to age, so don't be fooled by their accessible nature in the early going." - Josh Raynolds
#2013 vintage:
"The key to a successful foray into the ‘13s is first to understand that in most instances the wines lean to the red fruit side of Pinot Noir; they tend to be tangy and tightly wound but often lack concentration. While some wines may put on weight and gain sweetness with bottle age, that’s a gamble I’ll personally leave to others. The 2013s also tend to lack the tannic structure for more than mid-term aging although they will likely endure on their acidity, which I suspect will usually outlast the fruit in this vintage" - Josh Raynolds
#2014 vintage:
"The 2014 vintage in Oregon may be remembered as the vintage of a lifetime [for growers] . . . these wines as they will be similar to the 2009 vintage . . . lovely, ripe, rich, deeply concentrated and aromatic" - winebusiness.com
"The conditions made it relatively easy to make good wines, with no worries about achieving ripeness, and the lack of frost risk allowed us to keep grapes on the vine as long as we wished." - Casey McClellan |
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