Second Sunday Group: 2008 Oregon Pinot
Tasted August 12, 2018 by AllRed with 185 views
Introduction
The 2nd Sunday group gathered for our regular double blind tasting. For this group, we are presented a couple of double blind warm ups before the main flight. The warm ups are discussed & unveiled before moving on to the themed main flight. We spent forty five minutes or so tasting and evaluation the eight wines for the main flight before ranking the wines and then making guesses as to what we were tasting. Wines are ranked 1-8, one point for each place, and then unveiled from last place to first place. After the tasting, dinner is served with the additional wines brought by the group, nonblind. For this tasting we had ten tasters and the cost was $35.
Flight 1 - Warm ups (3 notes)
A bottle of bubbly, nonblind, followed by the blind warm ups.
White
2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Served blind to the group. Apple and lemon notes. Medium-bodied and rather bright, with pear, lemon and mineral flavors. I really enjoyed this, though much of the group did not think this was Meursault, which led to a discussion of what Meursault, Puligny and Chassagne used to/ought to taste like. I found that very educational as my experiences with white Burgundy are much more recent and so what I think these wines ought to taste like differs a bit from them.
White
2008 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Served blind to the group. We came across this a couple of days prior to the tasting so I thought it would be a good chance to learn something from them about it, as I have had only two prior experiences with this wine, one of which was a corked bottle. This was darker in color and displayed aromas of lemon, citrus and lemon pledge- definitely a chemical kind of note there. Flavors of melon and lemon pledge. None thought it flawed- most guessed semillon, which I think is a good guess. Good, but not quite in my wheelhouse, though I am glad to have tried it.
Flight 2 - Main flight (8 notes)
Well, as a group, these did not show nearly as well as I'd have expected them to. Somewhat tannic and acidic, these needed more air tio really show themselves. They were a bit awkward and clunky during the tasting, and as a result, the group struggled to pick these out as pinot. I was a bit surprised by that as I found plenty of pinot character, but then I knew what they were. The bottles were arranged randomly, so while I knew which eight wines were in the lineup, I did not know the order.
These had been quickly double decanted about two hours prior to the flight being served- most had a little bit of fine sediment, and so we lost perhaps an ounce or two from each. The Loring was easily the ripest of the bunch and so not really a surprise that it finished so well in the group rankings. These were the first bottles of any of these that we had opened, so I'll plan on opening another round in the near future when I'll have time to follow each more closely and see if these simply needed more air or if more time in the cellar is warranted.
Red
2008 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Équinoxe
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Single blind. Opens with notes of cherry, earth and red pinot fruit. The cherry becomes more dominant as it sits. Pretty acidic, with a good amount of tannin too. Cherry and spice flavors. Medium finish.
My #6, Domino's #8
Group #5, 44 pts
Red
2008 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Rocheux
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Blind. Aromas of tea, cherry and touches of cinnamon and rhubarb. Nice cherry fruit dominates the palate; balanced acidity. Nice.
My #5, Domino's #3
Group #8, 59 pts
Red
2008 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Jerusalem Hill
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Blind. Cherry, tea and perfume notes with a strong candied fruit element. Medium-bodied and somewhat tannic. Cherry and raspberry with a spice-dominated finish. Feels almost too thin and too acidic for my liking.
My #7, Domino's #4
Group #3, 43 pts
Red
2008 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Blind. Notes of cola, dark pinot fruit and spice. Cherry tones emerge as it sits in the glass. Medium tannins, somewhat chalky feel; spice and dark pinot fruit flavors with nice acidity. Develops notes of leather and weedy/vegetal brett qualities that I find distracting. 86+ pts.
My #8, Domino's #2
Group #1, 36 pts
Red
2008 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Diversite
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Blind. Lovely bouquet featuring spice, dark cherry fruit and earth. Cherry and raspberry fruit tones on the palate have a cooked/baked quality that works very well here. Good spice in the finish; nice balancing acidity. 90+ pts.
My #2, Domino's #5
Group #6, 46 pts
Red
2008 Shea Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Estate Shea Vineyard
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Blind. Rather reticent and tight- subtle notes of cherry and spice. Medium tannin. Develops a nice floral element to the bouquet that I enjoy quite a bit. Has a good bit of tannin to shed yet.
My #4, Domino's #6
Group #2, 41 pts
Red
2008 J. Christopher Pinot Noir Charlie's Vineyard
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Blind. Nice complexity in the bouquet- rhubarb, baked cherry, dark pinot fruit, spice, earth and a nice bit of toasty wood. Flavors of sweet red cherry fruit and iron. Tannins are soft; acid is in a good place; red fruit dominates the finish. Excellent.
My #1, Domino's #1
Group #4, 44 pts
Red
2008 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Côte Est
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Blind. Notes of bright red pinot fruit and cherry with tea leaf undertones. Turns more dark fruited in the bouquet as it sits. Balanced acidity and tannin. Dark pinot fruit and spice tones on the palate. Balanced; fine length in the finish. Excellent. 90+ pts.
My #3, Domino's #7
Group #7, 47 pts
Flight 3 - Dinner/dessert wines (0 notes)
Nonblind, with supper- pulled pork & slaw, a tropical fruit tart and a chocolate tart.
Closing
I am a big believer that most of us drink our good Oregon pinot too young. I believe these are good pinots, and I just failed to give them a chance to show their best today, though perhaps they need more time in the cellar or maybe, just maybe, they are in decline (thought I really doubt that). Whatever the case may be, I'm looking forward to opening a few more over the coming months and figuring out just what the right answer is.
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