Willamette Valley Century Club (100 wines in a day)!

Tasted Saturday, October 2, 2010 by David Paris (dbp) with 1,539 views

Introduction

I forget whose idea this was first, but it was a sweet one. Basically, let's see if we can taste through 100 wines in the Willamette Valley in one day, only visiting vineyards and some tasting rooms (i.e. no wine bars or wines at home). We were on a tight schedule and were nervous about succeeding all day long, but by the time we were about 4 hours in it was quite clear success was imminent. It was a great time. We rented a van for this, and yes, of course we had a designated driver who didn't have a single sip! We made it to 12 stops. Probably could have even made a few more, but we started slowing at the end once we knew we had it in the bag.

Flight 1 - Elk Cove Vineyards (Wines 1-12) (12 Notes)

We pulled into the parking lot at precisely at 10:00am, right when they opened. They did a fantastic job in pouring the wines for us... I think we had 12 wines in 15 minutes here. On track!

  • 2009 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very light and pleasant nose. Bright red fruit on the palate, and quite nice flavors and texture. Really pleasing and soft finish.

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  • 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Blanc 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Light melon on nose... simple, but nice. Good white fruit on the palate, and soft in texture. Mild finish, with good acidity and a dryness that caries deep into the finish.

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  • 2009 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris 85 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Stinky melon on the nose, but the fruit gets more pleasing on the palate. It's soft in texture and nice in the finish, but not very inspiring.

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  • 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Riesling Estate 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Really nice nose, some woodsy character, and almost older flavors than I would expect from a wine this young. Kind of crazy interesting nose. Nice weird melon on the palate, and some general funkiness. I didn't find much acid on the palate, but it ramps up very nicely into the pleasing finish. Impressive Oregon Riesling.

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  • 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Viognier Del Rio Vineyard 72 Points

    USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley

    I have never been a fan of these Viogniers and this was no different. Really funky, stinky nose... sometimes funky is a good descriptor for me, but not here, and I don't like it at all. On the palate it's almost rank, and nasty on the finish.

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  • 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 83 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Nice and soft nose, some acid showing through, and a strange wood component. Weird texture on the palate, and a little off balanced with its finish. A confusing wine.

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  • 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Windhill 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Nice red fruit present on the pleasing nose. Soft in texture but some slightly gritty tannins present themselves on the palate. Very soft and mild finish, but quite a bit of building tannins ramp up... however, as this goes 30 seconds on after the finish, I'm left with some taste in my mouth that isn't too pleasing and I want to get rid of it.

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  • 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Soft and mild nose... quite pleasing. Good balance of fruit and structure on the palate. Nice acid and grip of tannins into the finish. Too young, but could mellow quite nicely.

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  • 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Roosevelt Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very nice balance on the soft nose. Good structure but quite light flavors in the mouth, showing some soft red fruits which carries nicely into the finish.

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  • 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Nice wine, but it didn't seem nearly as open as the last time I had it. Soft and pleasing fruit on the very well integrated nose. The impressively built nature of this wine is present throughout, though at present the integrated structure takes over on the palate, which isn't showing too much. Good structure in the finish, but not showing much individual character at present; a bit closed overall.

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  • 2009 Elk Cove Vineyards Late Harvest Riesling 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Even better than the 2008 which I really liked. Really nice nose, and pleasing funk this time around... very nice light, pleasing sweetness into the integrated finish. Nice acidity as well, and not at all over the time. Really yummy.

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  • 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Ultima 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Rubber bands, a toy chest full of plastic cars with rubber tires, and a shrimp shell on the nose. Really wild stuff! Amazingly sweet on the palate, which usually totally turns me off, but not here. It doesn't feel cloying at all. Good finish.. tastes like yummy candy.

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Flight 2 - Bergström (Wines 13-17) (5 Notes)

One of the only other spots open at 10:00am, we hit this despite the short list. The Bergström Vineyard was awesome as always.

  • 2009 Bergström Gewürztraminer Hyland Vineyard McMinnville 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville

    Impressive white fruit flavors on the nose. Very pleasing on the palate, nice balance and texture, with some acid and a very strong lychee component. Nice fruit and acid into the finish, but this is a lychee bomb... while I do like that, it's a bit one dimensional.

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  • 2009 Bergström Chardonnay Old Stones 83 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Quite woody on the nose and even more so on the palate... and this is rank oaky wood. Not my style really... impressive structure I suppose, but the oak treatment is just a total turn off for my palate.

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  • 2009 Bergström Pinot Noir Old Stones 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very fruit forward on the nose... nice fruit on the palate, which is tart, with mild acid. Soft in texture and light in structure, but pleasing fruit none the less. Tart, light tannins carry deep into the finish. A nice entry level wine.

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  • 2008 Bergström Pinot Noir Cumberland Reserve 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    There seemed to be some strange, off balanced volatile acidity on the nose of this. This carried into the palate, which did show some nice fruit, but it's buried by glue and plastic flavors. Rich and big finish, which has some lasting tannins.

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  • 2008 Bergström Pinot Noir Bergström Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Nice fruit and interesting shrimp shell aromas. Impressive balance on the palate... very impressive structure with good balance of fruit and acid. This wine showed impressive balance throughout, really. Expensive, but very good... and this could turn into something great in 5-10 years.

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Flight 3 - Adelsheim (Wines 18-22) (5 Notes)

Not a planned stop at all, but we are all glad we made the stop! This was probably the best lineup I have ever had tasting in the Willamette Valley. Five wines and not a single one scoring below 91 points. I've always been up and down on Adelsheim wines, but these single vineyard Pinot Noirs were amazingly impressive. I'll need to pick some up! I think they all will age very well.

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Chas frustrated that it's taking more than 30 seconds between wines.

  • 2008 Adelsheim Chardonnay Caitlin's Reserve 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Weird pumpkin funk, and raspiness... really nice though! Impressive balance and great, interesting fall flavors on the palate. Really nice acid on the finish, along with thick apples. This is one of the finest Oregon Chardonnay's I've ever come across. Quite unique, though tasty, throughout. Very glad this wasn't the typical oak bomb.

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  • 2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Elizabeth's Reserve 92 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

    Strange moldiness on the nose, but it's the kind on a fine cheese, so it's tasty smelling. There's also nice fruits and overall a very cool, complex interesting balance. Really impressive balance of structural components on the palate, funk, fruit, and definitely a sense of old world balance. Impressive. The impressive acid and tannins continues on the awesome finish, expressing really delicious spice and structure. Amazing how tasty it is as it lingers on the tongue... I crave more.

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  • 2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Boulder Bluff 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

    Pretty nose, nice pleasing soft red fruits. Good fruit nad balance on the palate too, with more impressive structure. There was a little spicy alcohol on the finish, but overall the fruit and structure are yet again very impressive. Yum.

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  • 2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Calkins Lane Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

    Some nice oak wood funk on the nose coupled with interesting forest floor. Great balance on the palate, with awesome, delicious deep red fruits. Again, amazing structure on the finish, salt, chalk, and awesome sweet tannins build. Another one build to last. Very impressive!

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  • 2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Bryan Creek Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

    Nice nose, soft and integrated. Soft berries on the palate, and some red gummy bears. Pleasing and again impressive structure on the finish. All these Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs were impressive. Perhaps the best overall lineup I've ever had tasting in the Willamette Valley!

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Flight 4 - Laurel Ridge (Wines 23-40) (18 Notes)

Not always the best wines, but most certainly the most. 18 wines all in all! They said we could choose any 6 wines from the list for the tasting. Dan said, "Nah, just pour them all for us and charge us whatever you like." She even cut us a break on the price. While some of these didn't sit well with me, most of their Pinot Noirs were actually very quaffable, and almost everything here is a very solid value. The 1998 Brut was impressive for many of us, and half of us drinking bought a bottle. Chas on the other hand hates wines that have character, so he bombed it.

  • 1998 Laurel Ridge Brut Grand Laureate 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Crazy ginger on the nose... really strange and awesome nose; very interesting. Really good fruit, quite pleasing, and very good. Awesome again on the finish, which is tasty, with some weird sweetness and a little funk. A unique wine, and a wine to geek out to.

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  • 2009 Laurel Ridge Laurel Blanc Les Collines Vineyard 77 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    Big nose, but nasty and funky... but the aromas do fill the glass. Light flavors and a weird huge viscosity in the mouth. Really odd funk and wow... just kind of nasty on the finish.

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  • 2009 Laurel Ridge Sauvignon Blanc Les Collines Vineyard 65 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    Fairly nice fruit, but weird on the nose. Light, and really nasty armpit funk on the palate, spice, some volatile acidity, and continues to build nastiness on the palate. Funk. Ouch... tons of VA on the finish. Finish kicks harder with cat litter, and very off balanced. As I splashed this around the thought of swallowing it made me gag, so I had to spit it out. We were told, "this goes well with oriental food."

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  • 2008 Laurel Ridge Pinot Gris Dundee Hills 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Fewf, so much better than the Sauvignon Blanc. The palate shows brighter white fruits, and white gummy bears... there's still some slight volatile acidity, though. A bit of a garden hose flavor on the finish. Sandy. Gritty... but nice.

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  • 2008 Laurel Ridge Sémillon 78 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    Some strange off balanced acidity on the nose. The palate is light and soft, but it is pleasing. Weird, funky aspirin soaked in wet pumpkin on the finish.. off balanced with strange acidity.

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  • 2007 Laurel Ridge Chardonnay 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Soft and pleasingly mild nose. Nice apples on the palate, light, and a weird rubber band thing. Strange acid on the finish, and a little harsh, but overall it's still a pleasing effort.

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  • 2009 Laurel Ridge Riesling Les Collines Vineyard 82 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    Nice and soft nose. A bit off balanced on the palate, but it does build nicer as it's left on the tongue, beginning to express some green grape fruits. Decent acid and decent fruit, but pretty boring.

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  • 2009 Laurel Ridge Riesling Crow Valley Vineyard 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very light, and you can smell the light residual sugar. Nice acid on the palate, which expresses good mouthfeel and structure. Decent on the finish, drying, funky, and only slight sugar.

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  • 2009 Laurel Ridge Pinot Noir Rosé Monk's Gate Vineyard 85 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    Light funk. Nice fruit, but kind of strange milky texture; really thick and voluminous. Kind of interesting, but weird.

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  • 2009 Laurel Ridge Cabernet Franc Laurel Rosé 84 Points

    USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley

    Light flavors, but large in scale on the nose. Bigger fruit on the palate... pretty nice. Soft and light herbaciousness on the finish.

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  • 2006 Laurel Ridge Pinot Noir Barrel Select 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very nice mild fruit on the palate. Impressive palate, though strange, almost like a chik-o-stik! Yummy... nice into the finish. I liked this wine, but there was definitely something strange about it (but that's what I liked).

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  • 2005 Laurel Ridge Pinot Noir Reserve Chehalem Mountains 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

    Nice fruit on the nose... good balance on the palate, with some candied flavors. A little woodsy on the finish, but it was nice and mellow.

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  • 2005 Laurel Ridge Pinot Noir Reserve Wirtz Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Again, quite nice and pleasing on the nose... really nice balance on the palate, with some good candied fruits, but not in a sugary way... imagine the fruit flavor from the candy but without the sweetness, and that's what you get here. Good finish. None of these Pinot Noirs were remarkable, but they were all quite palatable.

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  • 2006 Laurel Ridge Zinotage Yamhill-Carlton 82 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    Really strange... didn't seem to have any sense of itself on the nose. Almost schizophrenic... either that or I felt schizophrenic when I smelled it. There was certainly big fruit on the nose and palate, but it really got to be excessive on the finish. It's actually balanced fairly well, but the style of the fruit is completely not my style... this would be hard for me to drink.

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  • 2008 Laurel Ridge Zinfandel Les Collines Vineyard 76 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    Big time cherry syrup on the nose. Blah. Softer cherry note on the palate... the finish of this wine buzzes with booze, though it only is stated to be 13.9% alcohol it feels more like 16%. Nice pleasing.

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  • 2008 Laurel Ridge David's Tableau Vivant 86 Points

    USA, Oregon

    Pleasing fruits on the nose... really good candied red fruits on the palate, which is quite deep in texture and flavor. Nice soft tannins on the finish, some candy, and what really nails it is red gummy life savors.

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  • 2007 Laurel Ridge Syrah 83 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    Bigger... pleasing fruits throughout, and not over the top. Still, North American Syrah is just not my style, so the fact that this doesn't really offend me is a good thing.

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  • 2004 Laurel Ridge Cabernet Franc Port 82 Points

    USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley

    Quite a lot of alcohol and thick berry soup on the nose... definitely some alcoholic buzz. Better on the palate, where it just tastes like sugary syrup. Big sweetness on the finish... I'd rather pour this over pancake's than drink it.

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Flight 5 - WillaKenzie (Wines 41-47) (7 Notes)

Every time I come here I hate that I'm there. I just don't like the attitude in the tasting room. They really think their shit smells better than everyone else in the valley, yet they've always made fairly mediocre wine. Just because they have a massive distribution that doesn't make the wine good. Everything is quite mediocre. While their Gamay Noir is decent, it's also more expensive than the highest end Cru Beaujolais! Yeah... just don't dig the vibe here, and even the layout of the place bothers me. It just seems so commercial.

  • 2009 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Blanc 83 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Some kind of weird funk going on here. Mild on the palate, and has hardly any distinguishing characteristics. I'm an acid freak, and this has tons of acid on the finish, but it's a weird kind of acid that isn't too pleasing and it's certainly completely out of balance with the other characters on the finish.

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  • 2009 WillaKenzie Estate Chardonnay Clos Marco 81 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very generic chardonnay oak funk on the nose coupled with funky wild apples. More weird oak funk on the palate, and strange balance. Too much generic oak funk on the finish... really not my style of wine, and this doesn't taste like anything other than run of the mill USA Chardonnay. Boring.

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  • 2007 WillaKenzie Estate Gamay Noir 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Stewed fruits on the nose, and something a little green. Slight bits of black pepper as well. Some green notes on the palate, and light white pepper. Mild tannins present. Wow, the finish is crazy with the black pepper. This tastes like black pepper and nothing else... black pepper for days. Neat, and it lingers for sometime, too. Every wine after this tasted slightly like black pepper.

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  • 2007 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Clonale 777 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Strange funky red fruits. Thin. Some tart light fruits on the palate, and this weird funky red fruit and tart acid present. Mild funk on the finish, but it's nice and the fruit lingers for some time.

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  • 2007 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Pierre Léon 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    Nice and soft on the nose. Good texture in the mouth, which feels quite pleasing and soft. Nice interesting duck fat flavor on the finish which is really yummy. Cool.

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  • 2007 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Kiana 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    Pleasing and soft nose... mild, and entirely uninteresting on the palate. Way too soft all around, not really showing any unique or interesting character... while there was nothing wrong with it, and I could drink it all day long, there was also nothing worthwhile here.

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  • 2007 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Terres Basses 84 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Some strange soft red fruits on the nose, and a certain medicinal character that's off putting. More medicinal character on the palate and finish, with some mild acid. Not very interesting.

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Flight 6 - Carlton Winemaker's Studio (Wines 48-56) (9 Notes)

Not even 1pm and we were half way to 100. Surprisingly snooty folks pouring behind the bar today. They seemed annoyed that we were there. Nothing really stood out here today, but I did buy the last two bottles of the 2008 Ayoub Pinot Noir that they had.

Flight 7 - Terra Vina (Wines 57-66) (10 Notes)

Very friendly tasting room in the heart of Carlton. Not really my style of wines, but considering that, some showed fairly well.

Flight 8 - Scott Paul Cellars (Wines 67-70) (4 Notes)

Not as interesting a lineup as usual, but the Scot Paul Dom Denise was very impressive! I look to revisiting it soon and maybe stowing some away for aging. Available in cool Magnums, too.

  • 2007 Scott Paul Cellars Pinot Noir La Paulée 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very similar to last time, and very typical 2007 Oregon Pinot noir... tastes and smells like there's lots of green stems, with acidic bright red fruits throughout. Very generic for me, but I do enjoy it.

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  • 2008 Scott Paul Cellars Pinot Noir Dom Denise 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville

    Quite dark in color, and expressing pretty big fruit on the nose. Even bigger fruit shows up on the palate, which is deep and precise, showing really nice balance and good big fruits, with some steminess that I really enjoy. Really nice spice on the finish.. quite impressive. This score may be a tad low... I look forward to exploring another bottle soon. Huge upside here; impressive.

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  • 2007 Thierry Violot-Guillemard Pommard 88 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard

    Strange... this smells like rabbit to me. Nice. Generally pleasing aromas, with some barrel funk. Great balance on the palate, with nice fruit. Fairly long finish, with pleasing soft fruit for an '07. Not too typically Pommard to me.

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  • 2006 Domaine Huber-Verdereau Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets 88 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

    Beautiful floral aromas. Smells like the woods, some ripe stems, but really the heavy floral nose here is quite beautiful. Much larger on the palate. Pleasing, with good fruit on the palate and finish, but it didn't quite live up to the beautiful nose.

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Flight 9 - Soléna (Wines 71-76) (6 Notes)

Likewise, not really my style of wines here... I totally broke Grant's wine glasses he bought here about 19 seconds after he bought them. Sorry Grant. :-(

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Very serious at wine number 76.

  • 2009 Soléna Pinot Gris 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Tart, big white fruit on the nose, but fairly mild on the palate. Uninteresting finish... nothing bad, just very generic Pinot Gris. Yeah, I could drink it all day long, though.

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  • 2008 Soléna Chardonnay Elvenglade 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    Nice funky wood on the nose, along with good fruit and spice. I quite like it. Good fruit on the palate as well, with nice balance with its structural components. Good acid deep into the finish, and not over oaked at all. Nice.

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  • 2007 Soléna Pinot Noir Domaine Danielle Laurent 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    Enjoyed this only slightly more than the 2006. This was amazingly funky though, and almost confusing. It was almost Syrah like in its size on the nose. On the palate it showed some mild fruits, though there was still some of that soft funk. Overall just too mild.

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  • 2006 Soléna Zinfandel Wooldridge Creek 85 Points

    USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Applegate Valley

    Big massive fruit on the nose and palate, though the palate also shows some surprising acidity which holds this together better than most Zins (for me). Tart and nice finish. Still... I don't generally like Zinfandel, so take this with a grain of salt.

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  • 2006 Soléna Syrah Del Rio Vineyard 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley

    Big red fruit and quite a bit of booziness poking through. Nice big fruit and overall fairly tasty.

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  • 2004 Soléna Cabernet Sauvignon Klipsun Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

    Again... just big fruit on the nose. It's fairly tart on the palate, and surprisingly delicious on the palate, with soft, expressive large dark fruit. Again tartness on the finish, despite the large deep fruit. Good stuff.

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Flight 10 - Seven of Hearts (Wines 77-89) (13 Notes)

Also in downtown Carlton, we had a really good time here talking with the winemaker/owner. He seemed to enjoy our enthusiasm, and we enjoyed hearing him tell us all he could about his wines. The whole day people kept coming in and asking for his big juicy wines, and he'd say things like how they may not like his style because he makes subtle wines. At one point I noticed one of his Pinot Noirs was 15.1% and said a bit too loud, "Wow, I guess that's the subtly he was talking about." Of course I was joking, and all the wines were still quite enjoyable. I'll definitely be back.

Flight 11

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Feeling this was in the bag, stopped to make some killer sandwiches before taking off for Argyle.

Flight 12 - Argyle (Wines 90-97) (8 Notes)

I didn't enjoy these wines as much as I usually do... particularly the sparkling wines. Usually I'm quite impressed. The folks weren't too friendly this time either. Maybe they noticed we were 97 wines deep?

  • 2006 Argyle Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs Knudsen Vineyard 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Not nearly as good as this has been in previous vintages. Nice tart fruits (apples) on the nose, and this is really fresh. Nice and almost sweet on the palate, with good apple fruits, but the balance of acidity isn't quite there. Kind of like rotting apple cider on the finish, which is clearly off putting.

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  • 2007 Argyle Chardonnay Nuthouse 84 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    I wasn't into this... some woodsy funk on the nose, soft and mild on the palate, and lots of woodsy coconut on the finish. Not my style of Chard.

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  • 2006 Argyle Brut Knudsen Vineyard 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Apples, nice and soft on the nose. Good fruit on the palate, again soft apples, and really nice soft small bubbles. A little strawy on the finish with some barn... strange funk and didn't really feel balanced to me.

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  • 2007 Argyle Pinot Noir Reserve 81 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Some generic fruits... mild, tart, and green on the palate. Really off balanced again on the finish. This is an example of what went bad in 2007.

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  • 2007 Argyle Brut Rosé 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Very nice soft berry fruit on the nose. Night bright bubbles on the palate are pleasing, soft, and nice texture in the mouth, though surprisingly some alcohol is also noticed. Nice acids into the finish with some tart apples. Disappointingly, this Rose didn't really show any berries on the palate or finish.

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  • 2006 Argyle Pinot Noir Nuthouse Willamette Valley 85 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Despite the big marks, year in and year out I have never been a fan of this wine, and the 2006 vintage didn't help. This is just way too big of a Pinot Noir for me... this had massive dark fruits on the nose that were pleasing, but just so huge. Big fruit on the palate that was just too over the top for me.. I don't want my Pinot Noir to slap me with blackberries, and this does. The finish also seemed way out of balance. Just too much fruit and not enough structural elements to contain it. I bet this is heading down hill from where it was on release, as has been happening with quite a few 2006 Oregon Pinot Noirs that got too big for their britches.

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  • 2007 Argyle Pinot Noir Black Brut 82 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    I was pulling for this one, but unfortunately it just didn't deliver. Tart and soft on the nose, with good soft fruit on the palate. However, the finish got incredibly tart and bitter... so much so that it just was not pleasant at all. It just felt like it was sucking the life out of my tired tongue.

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  • 2008 Argyle Riesling Minus Five Artisan Series Lone Star Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Wow, I really enjoyed this wine. Fantastic structure on the palate, and really viscous. Really delicious finish that stayed with me for some time.

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Flight 13 - White Rose Wines (Wines 98-101) (4 Notes)

Another winery not on the list, but we decided to end our tour at the top of the hill. Only 4 wines, and we had to buy one of the bottles as only 3 were being poured, but a great way to end the day!

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Closing

I think we all had a fantastic time doing this! Maybe we'll make this a near annual trip, hitting different spots each time (Though there aren't many spots like Laurel Ridge pouring 18 wines!).

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