Popped, "vinturi'd", funneled back into the bottle, and poured. Light plum purple in color. I was surprised at the aromatics of this wine. Not what scents I picked up, but rather how full the nose was for an $18 wine. I picked up scents of raspberries, blueberries, and (as Bruce put it best) some stewed fruits. Initially this had a prety strong tannic grip, as you would expect from such a young wine, but the fruit and earth flavors still shown through beautifully. Crisp, ripe red fruits hit you up front with a great blend of what I can only describe as forrest floor or pine. It is a well made wine as well, with a good dose of acidity through out that screams for garlic and tomato sauce. After about 2 hours being opened all the flavors seemed more pronounced and complex. Biggest downfall is probably that it was a bit tart in the mid-palate, but I think that would be remedied with the right food combination. Really nice stuff by itself, but I think I probably wouldn't drink it again unless I was pairing it with some lasagne or spaghetti. Either way, can't go wrong for this price.

Popped, "vinturi'd", funneled back into the bottle, and poured. Deep dark purple and almost black in color, which was a bit of a surprise. HOLY COW is the nose on this yummy. I want to just crawl inside the glass and sleep. Lush round black fruits with a touch of funky earth. mmmmmm

The taste has much of the same profile as the nose, but not quite as full. Good acidity gives it some structure, but still very smooth. A touch of heat on the finish, but not as bad as I have found in a lot of other Oregon PN. After about 2 hours it really opened and was a really fabulous wine. In comparison to the other Oregon PN I have had, this blows away the competition. In comparison to all the other pinot that I have had, I would likely go for a RRV pinot around the same price point before I came back here.

I was apprehensive coming into this wine because I had the 2006 a few weeks ago and was not impressed by it. After having this, I realize that the lack-luster showing of the 06 was because I basically was killing a baby...holding a puppy. Sad isn't it? Although this wine is also still in it's youth, I do believe that it is beginning, or coming close to beginning, its drinking window. I would give it at least another 2-3 years and I think it will be really great stuff.

Popped, "vinturi'd", funneled back into the bottle, and poured. I will be the first to tell you that I know little to nothing about Italian wines. I know they come from Italy, I know they taste good, and I know they are better with food. So I had no idea what to expect from this one. Deep dark royal purple in color. The nose is big and spicy with some earthy tobacco and tar notes as well. Considering the nose, the taste was surprisingly fruit forward with the tar and tobacco taking a back seat to blue and red fruits. Very nice acid structure and not overly tannic considering age. I think this is just a baby. While it is super elegant and delicious, I really had to work to get my head around each aspect of the wine. It definitely made you work for it. With another few years in the bottle I imagine this will integrate and improve on an already stellar showing. 91-92