Willamette Valley Tastings 10-24

I had intentions of making a trip out just before harvest to view all the ripe grapes, but I procrastinated that opportunity away. Playing a bit of catch up, I decided to go out on the one nice day last weekend and hit a couple of new places.

This tasting room is right in the middle of Carlton. I had never visited them before, and wanted to start out with something new. They've got a big range of varietals available for tasting, which is pretty cool.

• 2008 Soléna Pinot Gris 84 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Green apples on the nose along with a hint of something sweet. Some riper apple flavors and apple skins come across on the palate along with moderate acidity.

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• 2007 Soléna Pinot Noir Grande Cuvée 88 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Some cool bacon notes appear on the nose along with some lighter plum and cherry scents. It has a nice mouth feel. The tannins are even and light with some nice acid and some simple strawberry flavors appearing. This is a decent wine for the price.

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• 2005 Soléna Merlot Wooldridge Creek 86 Points

  USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Applegate Valley

  Rich blackberries show up on the nose along with some spicy oak. The flavors are on the lighter side for a merlot, which is kind of cool. The acidity is nice, and some dark strawberry comes in, but not too powerfully.

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• 2004 Soléna Cabernet Sauvignon Extended Aged Klipsun Vineyard 88 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  Oak and brown sugar appear on the nose here along with plums and a slight green note. The wine has a nice tannic evolution, plenty of oak, and lots and lots of plum flavors.

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• 2004 Soléna Cabernet Sauvignon Klipsun Vineyard 87 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  Some fun scents appear on this wine. Blackberries make up the bulk of it, but there are some cool notes of apples and brown sugar as well. The wine is nice and juicy with blackberry flavors as the mid palate starts. The acidity is nice, and the wine is clean on the finish.

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• 2004 Soléna Syrah Del Rio Vineyard 83 Points

  USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley

  The scents on this glass are pretty simple; cherries with a bit of cream. The color in the glass is dark and pleasing. On the palate, it's pretty oaky with some light cherry flavors.

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Believe it or not, I had never been here before either. It was a priority on this trip to remedy this, primarily just to check it out, but also because I had heard that J Daan made wine out of the studio, and I wanted to try his 2008 pinot noir. Unfortunately, J Daan is now being made out of another winery, so I didn't get to try that. I ordered a pinot flight to see what they had. The 3 wines were solid. To my surprise, they operate much more like a bar than a tasting room, so 3 wine flights are all that's available, and that can get expensive fast if you want to taste more than three.

• 2006 Wahle Vineyards and Cellars Pinot Noir Yamhill County 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Yamhill County

  Strawberry scents appear on the nose, as well as a bit of heat. The strawberry flavors on the palate are great! Everything is light across the mid palate, and the tannins come in along the sides of my tongue. The tannins are nice, but not totally integrated yet.

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• 2006 Hamacher Pinot Noir Signature Willamette Valley 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Dark cherries, earth, and strawberry scents appear when I smell the wine. The strawberry flavors are light on the palate, and the overall mouth feel is pretty gentle with some decent acidity.

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• 2006 Brittan Vineyards Pinot Noir Basalt Block 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville

  This has a dark, heavy nose full of blackberries, stems, and some earthy scents. Interestingly, apple flavors come across very clear on the palate. There are some super ripe blackberry flavors as well along with some nice acid. The tannins linger nicely, and they are subtle as they run out on the finish. 90-

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I've enjoyed some of their wines in the past, and I was excited to check out their new tasting room. A friend who had come along was also a huge fan of the 06 Mercotti's Milieu and was thrilled to discover that they still had a few bottles left for sale. Despite reasonably high expectations starting out, these wines still made an impression and I really look forward to tasting some of them again. The view is amazing from their grounds too, and it made a great way to end the day.

• 2007 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Mercotti's Milieu 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  Nice, light cranberry scents on the nose here. The mouth feel on this wine is great! Cranberry flavors deliver as well as some raspberry notes. The tannins are quite nice. They're firm but even throughout the experience and it makes for a nice smooth wine.

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• 2007 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Quiotee's Lair 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  The nose is deep and a bit heavier with raspberries and earth making up most of the scents. I get a little bit of watermelon on the nose as well. Wow, this has a great mouth feel. It's like heavy silk on the palate. There are some good raspberry and blackberry flavors as well as a bit of minerality. The tannins are on the light side. 90-

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• 2006 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Dragon's Bluff Durant Bishop 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  Some nice raspberry notes appear on the nose, but it's dominated by fresh, ripe, peaches. This isn't the syrupy scent of the canned peaches, but the crisp, slightly earth, rich scent of a perfectly ripe peach. The wine is lighter across the palate with flavors that hit a bit later. Apples and a bit of raspberry show up, and some nice acidity lingers for a while.

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• 2006 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Sovarae White Rose Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  This nose reminds me of bright cherries and raspberries all baked into a toasty pie crust. Bright acid leaps out onto the palate and juicy blackberry flavors rise up quickly afterward. The tannins are even all across the palate, and some great acid runs all the way out on the end with the fruit. A toasted note appears late on the long finish as well which adds a killer finishing touch to the enjoyable and lingering flavors this wine delivers. 91+

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• 2006 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Mercotti's Milieu 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  Rich blackberries and plums on the nose with some black pepper scents layered beneath it all. Some nice acidity runs across the entire palate, and the wine has a dusty mouth feel. Juicy red apple flavors appear, and some bright raspberry shows up on the sides of my palate.

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It all made for another great day tasting wine and enjoying the awesome Oregon autumn. I've liked White Rose in the past, but their performance today really made an impression. Overall, it was a pretty great day, with no pinot coming in below 88. Too generous? Maybe I was just in a pinot mood. Maybe I just hit some winners. I'd happily drink any of them again.