Memorial Day weekend tasting

Willamette Valley/Ribbon Ridge, Oregon
Tasted Saturday, May 28, 2011 by David Paris with 757 views

Flight 1 - Beaux Frères (9 Notes)

  • 2010 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Barrel Sample. Fairly deep, dark color. The aromas are very shut down... not really yielding anything at all. The palate is mild and soft. Not much in the way of tannins. Very smooth, but lacking depth of texture, structure, or flavor. There's slight spice, some briar, and maybe a little beef jerky. The finish shows a bit of structure, spice, light soil, and a black raspberry. Pretty mild and not too exciting. (86-89 points)

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

  • 2010 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir The Beaux Frères Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

    Barrel Sample. Fuller nose here, with nice fruit. Some leafs in the fall. The palate is nice and full in texture, with briar, raspberry, thick strawberry and mild spice. Good structural balance. Spicy finish, which is lightly tart, fairly full in texture. Nice, with sweet tannins. (88-91 points)

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

  • 2009 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Mild aromas, nice spicy soil, flint. Smells very complete. The palate shows equal balance, which pleasing soil, spicy briar fruit, and fairly delicious. Tight and grippy finish, but nice structure. Good spiced berry.

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

  • 2009 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir The Beaux Frères Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

    Pretty mellow aromas. A light notion of panna cotta with berries on top, which is interesting. The palate is very well balanced, showing nice structure. Mild red fruits, slightly green stemminess note that I like. There's more spicy briar on the finish, which shows pretty intense spice and some burnt soil. It is a touch hot. Label says 14.2%.

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

  • 2009 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir The Upper Terrace 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

    Really nice aromas. Good balance of spice, earthy fruits, some toothpicks. Tight and fairly round on the palate, showing some green briar. Some heat poking through already. Tannins build, but they aren't bitter. The finish shows more spice and lots of alcohol... too much alcohol. This shows 14.1%, which is slightly below the Beaux Freres Vineyard bottling, but somehow it seems more intense. Perhaps it's just the three 2009's in a row added up to too much heat for me, but as a result, I preferred this less than even the WV.

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

  • 2007 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    A bit more integrated than two years ago. The aromas are nice and bright fruit... quite rich aromatics. It's still a little green on the palate, but I don't mind it. Some spice, briar, stems, and a little gritty in texture. Grippy and massive structure present on the finish. A complete wine, but it still needs more time.

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

  • 2009 Coattails Pinot Noir Horsetail 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Nice earth, and spicy red fruits on the nose. Woodsiness on the palate, with an interesting egg white component; this is creamy in flavor and texture, with nice berry soup, mild spice, and slightly grippy tannins. More spice on thee finish, with impressive structure. This is an incredible value, considering the price of their Coattails wine. 90+

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

  • 2009 Coattails Pinot Noir 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Impressive briar fruit, vanilla cream filled wafer cookies, mild red fruits, and perfume on the nose. The palate is creamy, and really delicious texture. It's like desert in its decadence. More vanilla candy, and pleasing berry sweetness. Good spice and earth on the finish. A little bit of heat there, but this is impressively balanced. Considering I could get three bottles of the Horsetails for the cost of one of these, I think the Horsetails is the better bet.

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

  • 2009 Arrouya Cabernet Franc 87 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Very creamy and lush smelling. Like vanilla flavored cream. The palate is thick and creamy in texture, with bitter, puckering (wood?) tannins building rapidly. The finish is thick and creamy again. It's nice, but certainly a bit modern for me, though not totally over the top.

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

Flight 2 - Ayres Vineyard (4 Notes)

  • 2010 Ayres Vineyard Pinot Blanc 81 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    I really did not dig this style. This wine smells creamy and luscious. It looks thick in the glass. It's looks and smells like the syrup that fruit cocktail sits in. Smells sweet. The palate shows large texture, and too much sweetness. Tart, and puckering, though thick on the finish. Really not much style; too unctuous.

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

  • 2009 Ayres Vineyard Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 85 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    I wasn't feeling this on this day... maybe it was just bad coming off of their thick Pinot Blanc that I didn't care for. The aromas were a little green, with some candied fruit. The palate is very soft. Totally drinkable, and tastes almost sweet with its intense red fruit and very mild acidity. There is virtually no tannins present. Plenty of spice on the finish, and some booze and mild fruit. Too much sweetness and the texture is a little thick, and lacking structure or tannins. It gets worse the more I drank. This is the worse Ayres WV I've had.

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

  • 2009 Ayres Vineyard Pinot Noir Lewis Rogers Lane Ribbon Ridge 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

    This is all estate fruit; a blend of 5 clones. Pleasingly sweet fruit on the nose, with more balance than the WV. Large in size again, but more substance behind it. There's some tannins building lightly, but they are sweet. Slightly grippy, with pretty big fruit. Slight green briar notion on the finish, which shows thick red fruit. Spicy, and big in size.

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

  • 2009 Ayres Vineyard Pinot Noir Pioneer Ribbon Ridge 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

    Fairly large aromas, but pretty straight forward, showing big red fruits. The palate shows large fruits as well, with interestingly mild spice, and grippy green tannins. It's just too large in size for me. There's some booze noticed on the finish, which leaves the mouth feeling fully gripped by the tannins. Too large.

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

Flight 3 - Privé Vineyard (4 Notes)

  • 2009 Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Incredibly exuberant aromas of luscious red fruits. I could smell this from a foot away. It smells like a strawberry fruit roll up. Yum. The palate is big and full bodied, showing spicy, massive fruit. Nice soft texture. Spicy mild fruit on the finish, with briar, and mild tannins. Definitely a drink now style, but I found it pretty tasty.

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

  • 2009 Privé Vineyard Mélange 83 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley

    Nice fruit on the nose, but generic. Big style on the palate, with spicy alcohol. Grippy generic finish, with more alcohol.

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

  • 2009 Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir Le Nord 87 Points

    USA, Oregon, Yamhill County

    This wine smelled like brett. Earth, mushrooms.. hardly any fruit. The palate though showed plenty of large red fruits that were nice and soft. Good strawberry fruit, and none of the brett notion. Good spice, with mild structure. Again slightly bretty on the finish, though, with spice and a dirty strawberry. Slightly tart.

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

  • 2009 Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir Le Sud 89 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

    100% Pommard clones. Spicy earth aromas; more exuberant, big fruit here. Smells like bubble gum. There's definitely some oak noticeable, and it's pretty sweet (almost like American oak would be). Nice large fruits on the palate, like berry soup in texture and flavor, with only mild tannins and acidity. Lots of pleasing spice and earth on the finish, coupled with similarly large fruit.

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

Flight 4 - Sineann at Medici (15 Notes)

  • 2010 Sineann Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 77 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

    Really grassy smelling, over the top cat pee. Seems to have high volatile acidity here, as its pretty astringent smelling. I really don't care for the aromas here... this is similar on the palate, which is tart, and showing some slightly nicer fruits, with decent acidity. The finish tastes like acidic grass and nothing else. I really can't get into this. It's pretty gross.

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

  • 2010 Sineann Gewürztraminer Resonance Vineyard 84 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Nice spicy aromas with pleasing mild white fruits. The palate is lush and fairly creamy, with acid building. However, it never quite hits that crescendo I'm looking for, and is lacking the impact I desire. Good acid on the finish, which tastes of honeydew melon, but really not much depth.

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

  • 2004 Medici Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Reserve Block I, II 84 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Very funky aromas. It smells a bit past its prime. Shows some earth spice. The palate is mild, tart, expressing creamy mushrooms and more earth. Feels a little strange. Good spice on the finish, but it's not very well balanced. Some nice components here but it's not all together.

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

  • 2005 Medici Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Reserve Block I, II 83 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    More luscious fruit than the 2004, with some soil components, but also a soiled baby diaper. Thick fruited on the palate, and it doesn't really even taste like Pinot Noir... maybe a NW Malbec? Strange. It shows spice, but a certain forward notion. The finish is pretty funky, but not in a good way. I've had this wine in the past when previous vintages were older than this is today and enjoyed them, but this is just not showing well.

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

  • 2006 Medici Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Reserve Block I, II 84 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Smells like medicine mixed with wine. Typical 2006 fruit, though. The palate shows soil, and generic 2006 fruit. Spice and large fruits on the finish.

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

  • 2007 Medici Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Reserve Block I, II 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Some green tree bark and nice cranberry aromas. The palate is tart, mild, and shows decent balance. Light throughout, though. Spicy tart fruits on the finish.

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

  • 2008 Medici Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Reserve Block I, II 82 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    I figured the 2008 would be the best here, as 2008 often is... oh well. This has a woodsy fruit aroma to it. The palate shows decent flavors, but the texture is strange, and unique in this lineup: It's quite thin, and slightly chunky. I really don't enjoy that. The finish shows some volatile acidity, and some strange spiciness.

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

  • 2009 Sineann Pinot Noir Oregon 87 Points

    USA, Oregon

    Pretty decent this year! Tons of large fruit on the nose. The palate shows chunky fruit, a bit saucy and creamy, but the acid is keeping the fruit and spice in balance. More acids on the finish that are quite nice. This is a chugable Oregon Pinot, and the price is very attractive.

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

  • 2008 Sineann Pinot Noir McGinlay's Vineyard Marlborough 85 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

    A big boy at 14.8% alcohol. Huge spicy alcohol coming through fully on the nose. The palate is soft and shows heavy tobacco leafs which are quite nice, coupled with a dark berry pie. Spice and alcohol are also prominent. The finish shows tons of alcoholic spice.

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

  • 2009 Sineann Pinot Noir Wy'east 87 Points

    USA, Oregon/Washington, Columbia Gorge

    A measly 13.5% alcohol. Sissy stuff for Peter. The aromas here are fairly mild, with some spice and earthy, but they are definitely on the larger side of Pinot Noir. Chunky, spicy fruit on the soft palate. The finish is tart, and pretty nice and elegant, all things considered. Still not much excitement of flavors here.

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

  • 2009 Sineann Pinot Noir Schindler 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    More exuberantly bright red fruit here than some of the previous Oregon Pinots. Nice and soft on the palate, showing similar soft red fruits and a little spice. Soft and spicy finish, which is very smooth. High octane, but I could guzzle this.

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

  • 2009 Sineann Merlot Champoux Vineyard 80 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills

    Delicious aromas, like candy, and berry compote poured on cheesecake. The palate is very soft and smooth, but that alcohol dials in quickly, which becomes pretty intense. Big spice and a vomit notion on the finish. I'm not sure if the vomit is in the wine, or my body's rebellion to this stuff being in it.

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

  • 2009 Sineann Cabernet Franc Champoux Vineyard 87 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills

    Big apricot aromas, with plenty of big berries. The palate is really large, but soft and elegant with deep structured berries. It's pretty tasty, with mild tannins building. The finish shows tons of spicy alcohol, and big berry jam. Not as extracted as many Cab Francs, but still an abomination of how this is grape is treated in France.

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

  • 2008 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon 85 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    I tried to skip this wine but was told that I "had to try it" because "The Wine Spectator gave it 91 points." This smells like large blackberry and plum skins were combined in a metal bowl. Lots of spice on the palate, with big fruit, and alcohol coming through a lot. Mild tannins. The finish is grippy, showing sweet tannins and is mildly bitter. Well... David Paris gave it 85 points, and in the end that's all that matters to me.

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

  • 2008 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Lazare Vineyards 86 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Large fruited. Spicy and boozy palate. The finish is like candy. Sweet and yummy, but not very interesting. I could see a lot of people being able to pound this down at a party. High school girls would love this.

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

Flight 5 - de Lancellotti (3 Notes)

  • 2006 de Lancellotti Pinot Noir Estate 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    One of the finer 2006s I've had. This shows very rich, luscious large fruit on the nose. The palate is big and thick, with some grippy nature, like wood covered berries. Quite spicy. The finish is really spicy, but impressively structured and balanced for a 2006. All the components are in place here, with nice pleasing acid, fruit, and structure.

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

  • 2007 de Lancellotti Pinot Noir Estate 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    A little awkward on the nose, with nice fruit and some spice. The palate is slightly hollow and light, without much too it; kind of thin and chunky. The finish shows spice, nice soil, but it's light. There's nothing really wrong with this wine, but there's also nothing really interesting about it.

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

  • 2008 de Lancellotti Pinot Noir Estate 91 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Lots of structure apparent on the nose, but this is really tight. The palate is tight as well, with tons of structure, but it's still obviously graceful and showing pleasing balance of spice. Good structure, with nice acids on the finish. Pleasing balance, and a wine that will age gracefully for 10+ years. Nice stuff.

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

×
×