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Willamette Valley Century Club (100 wines in a day)!
Tasted October 2, 2010 by David Paris (dbp) with 1,507 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!
Rosé
2009 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé
87 points
Very light and pleasant nose. Bright red fruit on the palate, and quite nice flavors and texture. Really pleasing and soft finish.
White
2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Blanc
87 points
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.
White
2009 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris
85 points
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.
White
2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Riesling Estate
90 points
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.
White
2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Viognier Del Rio Vineyard
72 points
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.
Red
2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
83 points
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.
Red
2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Windhill
86 points
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.
Red
2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard
88 points
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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Red
2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Roosevelt Vineyard
89 points
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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Red
2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve
90 points
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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White - Sweet/Dessert
2009 Elk Cove Vineyards Late Harvest Riesling
91 points
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.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Ultima
91 points
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.
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.
White
2009 Bergström Gewürztraminer Hyland Vineyard McMinnville
87 points
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.
White
2009 Bergström Chardonnay Old Stones
83 points
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.
Red
2009 Bergström Pinot Noir Old Stones
88 points
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.
Red
2008 Bergström Pinot Noir Cumberland Reserve
86 points
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.
Red
2008 Bergström Pinot Noir Bergström Vineyard
92 points
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.
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.
Chas frustrated that it's taking more than 30 seconds between wines.
White
2008 Adelsheim Chardonnay Caitlin's Reserve
91 points
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.
Red
2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Elizabeth's Reserve
92 points
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.
Red
2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Boulder Bluff
91 points
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.
Red
2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Calkins Lane Vineyard
92 points
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!
Red
2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Bryan Creek Vineyard
91 points
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!
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.
White - Sparkling
1998 Laurel Ridge Brut Grand Laureate
90 points
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.
White
2009 Laurel Ridge Laurel Blanc Les Collines Vineyard
77 points
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.
White
2009 Laurel Ridge Sauvignon Blanc Les Collines Vineyard
65 points
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."
White
2008 Laurel Ridge Pinot Gris Dundee Hills
86 points
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.
White
2008 Laurel Ridge Sémillon
78 points
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.
White
2007 Laurel Ridge Chardonnay
86 points
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.
White
2009 Laurel Ridge Riesling Les Collines Vineyard
82 points
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.
White
2009 Laurel Ridge Riesling Crow Valley Vineyard
86 points
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.
Rosé
2009 Laurel Ridge Pinot Noir Rosé Monk's Gate Vineyard
85 points
Light funk. Nice fruit, but kind of strange milky texture; really thick and voluminous. Kind of interesting, but weird.
Rosé
2009 Laurel Ridge Cabernet Franc Laurel Rosé
84 points
Light flavors, but large in scale on the nose. Bigger fruit on the palate... pretty nice. Soft and light herbaciousness on the finish.
Red
2006 Laurel Ridge Pinot Noir Barrel Select
89 points
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).
Red
2005 Laurel Ridge Pinot Noir Reserve Chehalem Mountains
88 points
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.
Red
2005 Laurel Ridge Pinot Noir Reserve Wirtz Vineyard
89 points
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.
Red
2006 Laurel Ridge Zinotage Yamhill-Carlton
82 points
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.
Red
2008 Laurel Ridge Zinfandel Les Collines Vineyard
76 points
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.
Red
2008 Laurel Ridge David's Tableau Vivant
86 points
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.
Red
2007 Laurel Ridge Syrah
83 points
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.
Red - Fortified
2004 Laurel Ridge Cabernet Franc Port
82 points
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.
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.
White
2009 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Blanc
83 points
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.
White
2009 WillaKenzie Estate Chardonnay Clos Marco
81 points
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.
Red
2007 WillaKenzie Estate Gamay Noir
88 points
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.
Red
2007 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Clonale 777
88 points
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.
Red
2007 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Pierre Léon
89 points
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.
Red
2007 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Kiana
86 points
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.
Red
2007 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Terres Basses
84 points
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.
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.
White
2009 Lazy River Vineyards Pinot Gris
86 points
Interesting acid on the palate. Nice pleasing acid throughout, but nothing standing out besides that... overall it was pleasing, though.
White
2007 Lazy River Vineyards Riesling "Private Lumpkin"
85 points
Mild and a weird funky wheat aroma on the nose. Brighter acid and flavors of tart fruit on the palate, which is nice and mild. Tart, with lingering flavors, but after a few seconds the finish gets a little bit wacked.
Rosé
2009 Dukes Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Blushing Kate Rosé
82 points
Really funky on the nose... like cat diarrhea. Funky palate, some nice berries, and funk. There's actually nice acid and tart fruit on the finish... if I didn't have to smell this wine it would be pretty good.
Red
2007 Andrew Rich Pinot Noir Cuvée B
86 points
Nice, soft, typical Pinot Noir nose, with some green stems. Pleasing palate, quite mild, soft, and tart. Very tart into the finish, and kind of generic... like a lot of typical 2007 Oregon Pinot Noirs.
Red
2007 Wahle Vineyards and Cellars Pinot Noir Holmes Hill
87 points
Vineyard planted in 1999. Mild, tart fruit, with big red strawberries on the nose and palate. Nice and soft, pleasing, but again not too interesting.
Red
2007 Hamacher Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
88 points
Soft, mild, fruit and soft nose. Mild, and very smooth and soft red fruits on the palate. Quite tart and soft... good, and easy drinking.
Red
2007 Brittan Vineyards Pinot Noir Basalt Block
89 points
Smells of soil and tobacco. Nice fruit. Soft, good balance, some light whole leaf tobacco on the palate. Smoked cod skin on the finish... weird. I liked this, but wasn't as impressed as I was last time. I couldn't believe this was 15.6% alcohol... that seems crazy for 2007.
Red
2007 Andrew Rich Grenache Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
87 points
Big and spicy, with some alcohol present on the nose. It's better on the palate, as it tastes like liquefied gummy bears. It's light bodied, but it has big big flavor. Spice, and more candy on the finish, which is soft and drying. Not too bad...
Red
2007 Andrew Rich Counoise
86 points
Weird nose. Boozy. Fishy. Hot. Lots of fruit on the palate, but it's pleasing despite the size. It burns a bit on the finish (14.1% alcohol), and expresses excessive wood.
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.
White
2008 Terra Vina Chardonnay Silo Vino
86 points
Nice tart funk on the nose. Tart fruit, white berries, and tart and bitter on the palate, which carries into the finish. On the more pleasing side of the Chardonnay's we've had today.
Red
2006 Terra Vina Pinot Noir
87 points
Nice fruit on the nose. Nice mild fruit on the palate, but it's fairly uninteresting even if it is pleasing. A little tangy on the finish. A good quaffer.
Red
2008 Silo Vino Pinot Noir La Famiglia Dalla Terra Vineyard
87 points
Mild but good fruit throughout. Tart fruit on the finish, and nice spice. A big generic, but good.
Red
2007 Terra Vina Sangiovese
84 points
Smells like a modern Sangiovese... not my style. Big and soft red fruits. Pretty boring.
Red
2008 Silo Vino Merlot
87 points
Nice milk chocolate aroma. Pleasing fruit and some integrated, soft tannins. Pleasing and soft dark fruits on the finish. Nothing is out of joint here. A highly quaffable wine.
Red
2008 Terra Vina Cabernet Franc
88 points
Nice and pleasing... really tasty fruits, ripe and new world cabernet franc without any greenness. Big ripe fruits on the palate, large mouth feel, and slightly tannic. More tannins and pleasing dark fruits on the finish.
Red
2007 Terra Vina Syrah
88 points
Mild and deep nose... more deep fruit on the palate. Tastes like fruit jam. Surprisingly not alcoholic tasting, which for an American Syrah, is already a big win for me.
Red
2008 Terra Vina Malbec
80 points
Soft and mild. Smells like cookies. Mild, soft, good candy, but quite a bit of alcohol comes through on the palate for me (it's listed at 15.5%). Big, massive fruit. Not my style.
White
2007 Terra Vina Riesling Silo Vino
87 points
Good sweetness on the nose... big, sugary mouth coating, but it does show some balance. Some weird woodsiness. Good and long finish. Pleasing.
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.
Red
2007 Scott Paul Cellars Pinot Noir La Paulée
87 points
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.
Red
2008 Scott Paul Cellars Pinot Noir Dom Denise
90 points
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.
Red
2007 Thierry Violot-Guillemard Pommard
88 points
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.
Red
2006 Domaine Huber-Verdereau Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets
88 points
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. :-(
Very serious at wine number 76.
White
2009 Soléna Pinot Gris
86 points
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.
White
2008 Soléna Chardonnay Elvenglade
88 points
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.
Red
2007 Soléna Pinot Noir Domaine Danielle Laurent
86 points
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.
Red
2006 Soléna Zinfandel Wooldridge Creek
85 points
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.
Red
2006 Soléna Syrah Del Rio Vineyard
87 points
Big red fruit and quite a bit of booziness poking through. Nice big fruit and overall fairly tasty.
Red
2004 Soléna Cabernet Sauvignon Klipsun Vineyard
89 points
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.
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.
White
2009 Seven of Hearts Chatte d'Avignon Viognier & Roussanne
85 points
Killer nose of reduced marshmallows. Really nice. Soft, killer palate again... however, the finish takes a turn for the worse, with some weird funk and quite a bit of off putting spice.
White
2009 Seven of Hearts Roussanne Chatte d'Avignon Rattlesnake Road
87 points
Soft and funky nose. Soft and mild on the palate and finish... fairly generic, but also nothing off putting here at all. A fine drinker.
White
2008 Seven of Hearts Chardonnay Elvenglade
84 points
Some charred wood notes on the nose, with funky seafood and wood expressing itself on the palate. More wood into the finish.
Red
2008 Seven of Hearts Pinot Noir
85 points
Nice candied berry aromas.. the smells are fairly sweet though soft. Nice palate, with pleasing soft fruit if a bit mild. Good fruit into the finish, with some funk. However, despite some interesting flavors, structurally there seems to be something fairly off balanced at this point. Not really pleasing to drink as a result.
Red
2008 Seven of Hearts Pinot Noir Eola - Amity Hills
87 points
Bigger, more up front fruit than the Willamette Valley. Still some candied fruit on the nose and palate, with a bit of wood as well. Tart, pleasing finish.
Red
2008 Seven of Hearts Pinot Noir Crawford-Beck Vineyard
87 points
Tart, ripe fruit throughout. Nothing to write home about, but a pleasing wine.
Red
2008 Seven of Hearts Pinot Noir Reserve
89 points
Nice nose. Pleasing structure and balance on the palate... really pleasing as it remains on the tongue. Good fruit and amazing balance on the finish, even if it is a little larger than my balance usually likes. The good acid keeps it fairly together though.
Red
2009 Luminous Hills Pinot Noir
90 points
Nice balance on the nose with some nice ripe steminess, though it does smell a little bit like a bathroom. Really pretty palate, and nice pleasing finish. 90+
Red
2009 Luminous Hills Pinot Noir Lux Estate Grown
88 points
Nice pepper and big funk on the nose. Bigger fruit again on the palate, with some heat. The finish is really spicy, which again is the alcohol. This is barely holding its large fruit and alcohol in check, but it barely is so I enjoyed it.
Red
2009 Seven of Hearts Grenache Chatte d'Avignon
Smells like a bathroom. Some carmel and chocolate on the palate, which is fairly nice. Big and alcoholic on the finish though... too much spice, and booze. 14.3% alcohol.
Red
2009 Seven of Hearts Chatte d'Avignon Grenache & Syrah
81 points
Some funk on the nose. Chicken skin. Big fruit on the palate... kind of tastes like the whole vine itself, but not in a good way. The finish is like digging through mud while someone pours vodka on your head.
Red
2009 Seven of Hearts Syrah Chatte d'Avignon
87 points
Only 98 cases, and no new oak. The nose is really funky, but the palate is just really big and fruity, with fairly decent balance and good soft, deep dark red fruit. Soft pleasing finish, without any booziness noted in the other Chatte d'Avignon wines.
Red - Sweet/Dessert
2009 Seven of Hearts Pinot Noir Coupes Cuvee Crawford Beck
82 points
Big booze on the nose... smells like tomatoes and alcohol. Deep dark and fairly tasty fruit on the palate. The finish is very fruity and sugary... again, I could pour this over pancakes, but I'm not sure I really want to drink this as wine.
Flight 11 (0 notes)
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?
White - Sparkling
2006 Argyle Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs Knudsen Vineyard
86 points
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.
White
2007 Argyle Chardonnay Nuthouse
84 points
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.
White - Sparkling
2006 Argyle Brut Knudsen Vineyard
87 points
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.
Red
2007 Argyle Pinot Noir Reserve
81 points
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.
Rosé - Sparkling
2007 Argyle Brut Rosé
87 points
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.
Red
2006 Argyle Pinot Noir Nuthouse Willamette Valley
85 points
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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Comments (1)
Red - Sparkling
2007 Argyle Pinot Noir Black Brut
82 points
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.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2008 Argyle Riesling Minus Five Artisan Series Lone Star Vineyard
91 points
Wow, I really enjoyed this wine. Fantastic structure on the palate, and really viscous. Really delicious finish that stayed with me for some time.
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!
Red
2007 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Quiotee's Lair
84 points
Mild tart fruit on the nose, but the palate was a lot of typical 2007 greenness. Meh... more green on the finish, but not as tart as the nose implied.
Red
2007 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Mercotti's Milieu
86 points
Nice, pleasing funk on the nose, with good earthiness on the palate. Pretty good.
Red
2007 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Dragon's Bluff White Rose Vineyard
89 points
Wine 100 of the day! And it was pretty good. I think I was too excited to write a detailed note though... all I write was really good fruit. 89+ points.
Red
2008 White Rose Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
87 points
Very forward on the nose, expressing nice red fruits throughout the nose, palate, and finish. Overall a little mild.
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!). 
Success