Lovely elegant Burgundian Pinot. It is mature but balanced with, to my palate, ample fruit, resolved tannins, enticing nose, and medium length. Wish I had more.
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At this age, this wine is very soft and silky in texture. The nose has dried cherry and cranberry, a slight barnyard earthiness, pencil shavings and a hint of cigar box.
This carries to the palate which has medium - tannin and medium acid and intensity. Overall this is an elegant and Burgundian example of Pinot.
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Remarkably refined, restrained for Oregon - could have nearly passed as a burgundy in a blind. Good red fruit, sweetness, a hint of oak. Remarkably high coplexity. Great bargain.
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Popped and poured, this is austere and unyielding. After a few hours of air, it blossomed revealing many great aromas and flavors described previously. Terrific acidity and tension softening with time on the palate and in the lengthy finish. Black tea and beautiful aged red fruits. While I agree with the others perceptions, I disagree with their assessments.
This is beautiful cool climate aged austere Oregon pinot - all day every day. It needs several hours to show itself. I’m fortunate to have 4 more bottles and will drink them over the next 5 fearlessly- but with lengthy aeration.
David, I will buy some of your 15 bottles that you have left.
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At first a little closed and acidic, and almost no bricking but color is a little faded on the edges of the pour. Has nice damp earth and hint of cedar on the nose. Tastes like Oregon Pinot with ripe strawberries, loamy feel and super fine tannins. Seems like it’s missing some secondary flavors especially for the price, or it’s starting to be over the hill.
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Pop and pour. My last bottle. This has aged very well. Nicely integrated, savory fruit with mellow acid and lots of earth. Really good aged Oregon Pinot. Not sure how long these will last but I don't see any reason to hold further.
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Somehow I still have 16 bottles of these and haven't had one in five+ years. Whoops. Seems like a bit past time to drink! Nice bricking color. Aromas are pretty for aged Oregon Pinot, showing lots of tertiary development of old growth forest floor, with decaying tree branches throughout. There's also an herbal component, as well as some old soft red fruits, but the fruits are certainly in the background. A very lovely, mature Oregon nose. Palate entry first starts with vibrant acidity, and you note the body is on the lighter side for Oregon (perhaps the vintage). Nice intensity in the mouth, with more red fruit character, old tree bark, mushrooms, and that acidity carrying it the whole way through keeping things bright. The finish hits with vibrant acidity, but here you get some older mushroom tones poking their way through. It certainly is the acidity that lingers the longest, leaving the biggest impression, but the flavors that linger are all on the more mature side of the spectrum. In a fine place to drink, and quite a bit better than my last bottle from 2017. This bottle didn't improve on day two. I'll start drinking these in earnest and posting if I have any bottle variation.
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needs at least 90 minutes of air. austere and tight on open, takes a while to gain depth and intensity. this has aged very well, and could go a bit longer still if you like more tertiary flavor.
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My contribution to a double blind Pinot evening. Nice length with prominent black cherry and some sweetness. I had guessed Russian River Valley with 7-10 years on it. Nope! :)
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Monthly Wine Group: Double Blind Pinots From Anywhere (Ciao Bella, Mpls): Medium ruby color. PNP, drank a tasting pour double blind over an hour plus. Wine #6. Note taking was fading at this point. Love the swampy, damp earth nose, mixed berry fruit, and floral notes; similar on the palate, mouth watering acidity with some astringent tannins. Guessed Oregon about 10 years. I should have probably recognized this as Seven Springs with all that earthiness. 91+pts.
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Drink now at its peak. Decant for at least one hour for the aroma to emerge. Incredible balance strikes me first of all, when the sum is greater than the parts. Lovely medium dark ruby heading to garnet and back from the rim. Dark for a wine so light on its feet. Subtle but unmistakable Pinot complexity(Old world/Oregon) with wet earth and mushroom, inviting savoriness, bright, light red with raspberry and cranberry but also darker blackberry fruits, lavender, a hint of cola and tea, smoke and something herbaceous, tarragon? As I said, a complex beautifully integrated wine. Medium body, tartness balances the variety of fruits, smooth but present tannins on a balanced, extended finish. Nothing flashy here, simply well made, terroir-driven wine. A Paar-Moorman project to be sure
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Not sure I could pick this out as a New World Pinot Noir: aromatic profile is savory, gamey, stinky earth, and mushroomy; texture is light; flavor profile shows wild strawberry, crushed raspberry, tart cranberry, diluted cherry cola, earthy mushroom, wet forest floor, and wet red granite. Structure still noticeable; but fruits are still providing balance. Complex. Long finish. Pleasantly surprised this is still going strong...not at maturity and may drink well for another 1-3 years. I really wasn’t expecting much, and this turned out being quite nice...if you like the style.
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The flavor profile is very different from most Pinot Noirs. Sort of a wood-leather flavor profile. Excellent Pinot and drinking well now. Be sure to decant for 3-4 hours. On the 2nd day this wine was better; it had really opened up and all the flavors came together.
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Decanted one hour. Still showing well if you like the style, which seems to be polarizing. On the palate, savory red fruit and peels, bright acid, earth.
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This had unattractive green notes that I couldn’t get beyond. Tasted over 2 nights with consistent disappointment. Not unpleasant but nothing to justify the $s
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More developed than last bottle from nearly three years ago. Still a mid-palate hollowness between the softened cherry and the strong acidic backbone. Decanted and drank over three hours. Agree with recent tasters’ notes that we would have guessed Burg. Unusual and good but by no means (slightly) weird like our previous bottle and the experience of many earlier tasters.
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Very consistent with my notes on bottles of this wine in 2016 and 2018. Blind, I would confidently (and worngly) guess it a Burg every time. Note to self--open last bottle for a Burg-o-phile.
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Delicious and near top as far as US pinots can go. Way closer to Burgundy than California, but with a distinct Oregon flair. Bottle age is lovely right now--still nice red cranberry fruit, but some clean tar notes and smoke with orange peel. High acid and pleasant rusty color. Light and elegant.
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Enjoyed over a three day period, vacuumed sealed in between. In spite of a cool and wet vintage, this producer did phenomenally well with this wine. It definitely will not appeal to all palates, but some with find this very complex and nuanced. This is drinking well if you enjoy a very aromatic, complex, slightly austere, light bodied Pinot Noir. 90-91
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Interesting to see so many different notes on this. My bottle showed very well. It was certainly showing the 2011 vintage, but in a very good way for me. I enjoyed the cool red fruit flavours, silky tannins on the medium bodied palate. Nice to taste this restrained OR pinot - another 'shitty' 2011!
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This was better than expected and leads me to state the following - I continue to enjoy underrated OR Pinot vintages. The wines sometimes are less powerful and more transparent, and with the intensity of flavor that OR can deliver naturally, that seems to produce good harmony to this palate. Here, the texture and aromas were on display. Leaning towards black fruits, a bit of earth, loamy aromas. This was very engaging and enjoyed by a table to wine nerds. Excited to see how my remaining bottle performs in a couple years.
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With the reviews being all over the place, and my own tepid reviews from a few years back at hand, I said “what the hell” and did a PnP through VinAire. A bit of bricking around the thin rim as I poured, I thought this might have turned. However, the aroma was fresh and bright, no funk to speak of, and the taste was very upfront if a bit austere. Now much more Burgundian and has improved incredibly. Cola notes dominate the delicate presentation. A bit of bite on the back shows the alcohol and acids are still there, no drying tannins at all, this is savory and delicious. Wow, I’m glad I didn’t pour these down the drain like I was tempted to do two years back.
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Not sure what was going on with this bottle. I remember seeing this at a local wine shop for $275 as it was touted as greatness. Upon opening, the nose of funk was so strong I thought it was a bad bottle.
After letting it open up, it was approachable but not good at all. Reminded me of a northern Rhône vs Pinot noir. There wasn’t much there to remark about.
Tried again the next day and it did not improve at all. Very disappointing showing here. I had several bottles of the 2011 eola amity and they were all solid offerings.
This is starting to come around, and was drunk with much pleasure after about 1hr slow-ox in bottle. Fruit has become more savory with a subtle spiciness over layer upon layer of herb, mineral and soil tones. Silky and a touch lean on the palate with good energy from acid, but neither shrill nor hard. The tannin remains somewhat unresolved, but nicely fine grained. Has the stuffing to wait for those tertiary notes to come around, but quite pleasurable here at the front end of its drinking window.
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Drinks more like a Burgundy that a US domestic Pinot Noir. Complex flavors, fruit in the background, high acidity provides structure. Not a “crowd pleaser” style.
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Much better with food (tuna steak and honey cinnamon sweet potatoes one night, filet and salad the next.) Thin, acidic and light on fruit after each meal. Admittedly Oregon Pinot is not my jam, so take for what it’s worth.
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It seems as though this bottling has put on some weight in the last few years, or perhaps it is just bottle variation. This one showed quite a bit of brett of the metallic-tasting sort.
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Enjoyed this, liked but didn’t love it. Nice dark color and the intense aroma that I love from PN. Felt slightly out of balance to me an a little bitter on the finish.
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Beautifully complex yet simply delicious. Soft fruit but balanced with integrated tannin and just enough zip. The alcohol shows itself on the nose but remains held in check on the palate.
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Light ruby red. Interesting nose with lots of funkiness. Aromas that are a bit smoky, burnt, twigs and light cherries. Light bodied with medium acidity (6/10). A bit weak on the palate with cherries, smokiness and twigs. Medium finish. Not sure about drinking timeline on this.
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Glad to see these go, too much Cola and Asian spice for my taste. It does go well with curry, though, which is what we're having tonight. For half the purchase price, it might be more appealing, but price appeal can only go so far. Hard to believe that the most recent WMJ auction price is $42!
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Well made delicious Oregon PN good fruit balanced tannin. 30 minutes to open which suggests to me that it is not finished maturing. I agree, drink now to 2021.
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Largely consistent with '16 note, but the oak is not standing out at all for me tonight, and the orange component is toned down. Balanced, enjoyable, if not overly complex.
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Almost one year after my last note, I gave this a go based on recent reviews. The funk that others have highlighted blew off after 15-30 minutes, and actually this was much thinner than I expected. Just no “there” behind the big approach. Not bad at all, but after all this time I was hoping for more.
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Earthy, plummy, dry, with medium-full tannins (for a Pinot Noir). Drank well over several days, with no upside. Good but falling short of being outstanding. 12.9% ABV.
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Quite reticent upon opening. It took about 45 minutes or an hour to open up. Show's good pinot typicity, and the somewhat shy nature of the vintage. Ready to drink now, should hold for several years.
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I was a little worried after reading all the comments here. This bottle was not the weird wine some are describing, if anything it was just tight, though definitely earthy and a touch funky. If you're expecting cherry candy, no, this is not it. But for some serious, old world style pinot, look no further. My suspicion that this would improve with age may be supported by the fact that the 1/3 of the bottle that I re-corked and stored in fridge for 2 nights showed quite well. There's complexity here, and I'm thinking a few more years sideways may be beneficial.
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Pop and pour at room temperature. Get over the manure in the nose because on the palate this is drinking beautifully with red and black fruit, a hint of licorice, and a very long finish of dried berries and black pepper.
UPDATE: even better on day two. 93. Put on some weight and riper fruit on the finish.
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Very off-kilter nose upon opening: sharp sour funk, menthol. Per guidance from earlier comments, decanted for 90 mins before drinking, kept drinking for another 2.5 hours. The angularity/weirdness largely blew off revealing sour cherry and raspberry. Nose and palate have distinct matchstick vibe that obscures a fainter sous-bois character. Acidity is high, body is light, and finish is long and astringent. Cut through tonight’s mushroom cream sauce. Had we tasted blind, I might have guessed something volcanic (e.g., Etna Rosso). Interesting and good, I look forward to next bottle in a few years. Bonus points for intriguing and tolerable weirdness.
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I have to say i'm not getting too much funk on this, certainly not enough to derail the wine. If anything, just a bit on the nose, but the palate is a really ripe sour cherry (maybe the funky bits add to this punch?) and full, round middle. Agree that this would be more Burgundian in style vs the other Oregon wines, but found it perfectly enjoyable.
Not sure what folks are focused on with the funk... This is a perfectly lovely Oregon pinot. Not brilliant, not spectacular, but solid. A little light... Perhaps a bit more Burgundian. Maybe that's where the funk comes in. Works for me.
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Very pretty and transparent red. Unfortunate about the funky aromas which persisted and were pronounced even in the flavors. Overall, a bit out of kilter.
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Reviewing others' comments from Sept-Oct, I was hesitant to open up one of these bottles, but they are just languishing in my cellar so I said "what the hell". Upon opening, I wholly agree with QUAFFING IN COLORADO. Just crazy funk/shit stink and the taste was completely off-kilter. As recommended by DBP, I put the open bottle in the cellar for 3 days (I tried it after 24 hours and it still was awful), and it smoothed out considerably, turning into a quite nice bottle! No more funk, a muted, somewhat tart taste, good structure, light-medium weight. I guess that's how these bottles are going to drink. Rating is for day 3, obviously.
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There is something a bit funky and strange about this wine in this vintage. It's usually quite lovely and refined, but this one isn't quite. The aromas are a little stale, showing lots of wet leaves, old softening red and black berries, and an odd turkey dripping note. Puckering on entry, more of the soft wet leaves and soft smashed berries. The acidity is nice, with moderate tannins as its held. As the structure takes over it actually improves in impression. Same notes on the finish. Structurally the acid really dials up and the tannins also become pervasive, but they are fine and quite lovely. The problem is that stale fruit/leaves thing lingers too long. The structure here is nice, but the flavors are little off putting for me. I've only had two bottles of my two cases thus far, but it does make me rather concerned for my many remaining bottles. This is an OK Oregon Pinot Noir, but even at the half price point it's not a good QPR today. With the complexion of the fruit it doesn't seem to me like this wine is going to recover itself.
UPDATE: I forgot this bottle was open and I came back to finish it three days after it was opened. It was open to air at cellar temperature the whole time. Needless to say, it was vastly improved on day three. It was still completely intact but it was way smoother and rounder; much more integrated. None of those odd flavors I mentioned on day one. I'm wondering if these bottles are simply showing some reduction on opening and need significant time to blow off. I'll dive into another bottle in more detail shortly, but this time letting it sit for a while before diving in with detail. Score is for day one.
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Similar to my last bottle in December 2016: complex and layered, light in texture, spicy red raspberry, forest floor, cherry cola, mushroom, and herbal tea among the most notable characteristics. Very led world style probably driven by the cool and somewhat rainy vintage. Medium finish. Pairs well with lighter textured foods.
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Full-blown, barnyard shit-funk with stemmy hay on the nose. We sometimes like a bit of brett, but this is brett gone bad. Mostly tart, savory notes with little fruit on the palate. The bottle variation continues with this vintage. 9.9.17: Brambly, herbaceous and over-oaked. There's slight cinnamon on the bouquet with spicy orange peel, black tea, green pepper, stems, and tart cranberry with astringency on the palate and medium-short finish. Showing slight bricking and orange on the rim. The olive brine flavor evolves into some ginger snap after a loooong decant. 2011 was a cool, and challenging year in the WV, and it's quite evident in the treatment of this austere bottling. Drink up, as this doesn't have time to improve.
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initially pnp. quite funky on the nose and the first sips were quite simple. tasted like water with some bright acidity. decanted and around the 3 hour mark the fruit finally came out and was just ok. drank 2nd half a couple days later and not much better. I'm confused by these most recent scores. maybe this gets better in 3-5 years
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Same btl as R&Rler Dam, I love the 2011 vintage in Oregon and this btl was no exception. This had a leanishness to it that made me think Volnay blind but turned out 2011 Oregon when revealed. So, I wasn't completely off the mark :). Red fruited, mineral - earthiness with some spice notes. It seemed a little whole clusterish and Volnay like. Fun wine and thank you Jimmy for your generosity! It's always cool when the host does a little cellar raiding. I'm hosting a small rose deck party later in July and I plan to do the same with another blind; PN, Burg, Barolo or Barbaresco later that evening. BTW, my local TW has this for $85 while WS Pro shows it readily available for sub $70. TW is a master at the illusion of being a low cost retailer!
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Red Burgs and More at Mr. Jimmy's Farewell to Irving (Jimmy's Place, Mpls): A blind bonus bottle generously provided by Jimmy. Clearly pinot and thought to be an earthy Oregon pinot, which was exactly what it was. I always love Seven Springs wines and this was not an exception. Plenty of red berries and front end earthiness that I adore from this vineyard. These '11's continue to get better and like '07 will have great longevity if you can lay off them. 91+ to 92pts.
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Pale red in color. Pepper on the nose. Bright acid and strawberry on the palate with a hit of minerality and sourness late palate. Tannic but tobacco on a shorter finish.
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From Coravin -- Currently this wine is way too young -- I got VERY light, tart red fruits...cranberry and quite weirdly red grapefruit. No earthiness or other interesting notes.
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Nice typical Oregon Pinot. Light to medium bodied, nice strawberry and cherry fruit but on the lighter side, soft juicy cherry tannins and bright acidity. Not overly long but a tasty earthy mushroom and sous Boris laced finish with nice character. Very tasty.
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As others have pointed out, and I agree, there is significant bottle variation with this wine. I had a great initial bottle, a less than stellar second bottle, and this one is pretty good, It takes at least an hour in the decanter for this to start singing.
Made in a lighter, feminine style, light texture and a slightly transparent ruby color. Definitely leans more toward "Old World" styling versus the more fruit forward "New World" approach. Complex aromatics and flavors of spicy strawberry, wild raspberry, tart cranberry, cherry cola, mushroom, herbal tea, wet leaves, and green herbs. Layered throughout, and improves as it aerates. Solid finish. Good balance, decent acidity, and enough fruit to support another 4-5 years.
Vintage conditions yielded many washed out and diluted wines; this producer did well given the less than stellar vintage. Very good and it might improve, especially if you get a "lucky bottle".
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Ignoring any bottle variation, I think this has improved a little since my last one in March. The bouquet is stronger and the palate has more depth, although it still seems to drop off in the middle somewhere before the lingering smoky finish takes over. A lot of roasted pecan and nearly burnt mushroom and tar notes with very dark berry and citric acid. I still prefer the regular Seven Springs bottling for this vintage. 5+11+14+7 = 87
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Transparent garnet color veering towards orange at the edges. Aromas of smoke, tar, herbs, and dark red fruits. Light to medium body, medium(+) acid and finish, and flavors of black cherry, cola, orange, black tea, and spices. The orange is really popping here—more juice than peel. Pretty good overall, though the oak treatment is perhaps a little strong for my palate. Worked well with an apple and sweet potato stew tonight.
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I seem to findthus more acceptable and appealing than most. Nice nose with a touch of funk and pepper. Very smooth mouth feel. Red fruit, some stem, with lots of lepper and some baking spice. Comes across as really good grapes that were given extended macerstion and overextraction. Pretty good but not to potentisl.
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I seem to like this wine more than other folks. Very similar to my first bottle in October 2015. Tart red fruit (cranberry) with saline and mineral notes. Nice texture.
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On the nose, very floral. But this took a couple hours in the decanter to open up. When it did, those flowers were matched on the palate, which also showed forest floor and tart cherry. Will wait a couple years on the next bottle.
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Decanted for an hour plus based on prior experience. There seems to be significant bottle variation. This was not even close to being as good as the first bottle I enjoyed last August. It was thin and austere by the end of the evening; it took about three hours for it to fall apart.
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Cherry juice, mulling spices, autumn leaves (after a day or two on the ground in the woods) and tree bark; pleasantly lean, balanced acidity on day 1 but became tart on day 2; slight bitter finish but otherwise interesting pinot
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Bright medium red. Light and simple. No earthiness. While I appreciate the lighter style new world Pinots I don't think this would be confused with a PN from Burgundy. I did not find it over extracted or over-oaked. 12.9% abv.
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A bit of strawberry that gave way to cherry but not a complex wine. I thought maybe it needed to open, but after about 1/2 hour it did relax but not to anything better. Another disappointment in the Mystery category.
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Doing a little compare with the non-La Source bottling that I drank two days ago and I followed this for three days open. This is a little lighter in color and also more reserved overall in bouquet than the regular bottling. Showing more mature and a little tomato sauce to go with the plum and dried cherry flavors on the palate. Acidity is a good measure higher and any tannins are negligible. I really found the regular Seven Springs version much more enjoyable... just not enough going on here for me. Could be bottle variation since it seems many here really like this, but it was really one of the most boring wines of the year for me. I also drank a bottle in January that was so hollow, I didn't bother to write a note. 4+8+14+7= 83
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On opening, light, spicy, some fruit. Yes, bell pepper. 90 minutes later it opened still spicy but balanced, light fruit and tannin. Delicious wine to drink with Dungeness crab and salad. Needs some time.
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Nose was very floral with sweet red fruit, coffee bean, purple fruit and cedar wood. Palate was indeed a bit disjointed with tiny bit of green peppers and some under-ripe fruit. Although the alcohol and fruit were not fully integrated, this medium-bodied pinot was still quite enjoyable.
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Better than my low expectations. Felt like it was a bit disjointed... here's the fruit, here's the alcohol. C liked it better than I did but thought a bit young and needed some time.
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Consistent with previous three bottles. Medium crimson in color, this wine reveals raspberry, forest floor and mushroom on the nose. The mouth feel brought bright acidity, excellent lift and dark red fruits of wild cherry as well as black tea. The finish was medium with bracing acidity and intense smoke and lavender undertones.
Purchased at a nicely discounted price of $25US, this is a very Burgundian style PN that will easily drink well now and through 2020.
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Double decanted and gave it 4 hours of total air and it was great. Initially it was a little earth dominant on the nose which eventually subsided to reveal an overall lovely Pinot. This one will likely age gracefully for another 5 to 7 years plus. Well made and nice balance for table.
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A surprisingly good wine; I reckoned it would be a solid QPR but this wine has a lot going for it and little detracting. Loads of purple and red fruit upfront with slight bramble. A good balance of herbal notes and cool earth on the palate. My only qualm is the acidity, as it punches a little on the finish but partially my problem for not having more food with it.
Drinking well here and likely will for the next 5-7 years, though it will drink for longer than that.
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Not my style but definitely good. There seems to be a lot of ambivalence about this and I'm not sure why. Maybe just the expectations or the asking price? Ripe black and red fruits on the nose. definitely the riper side of Pinot. Oak. (And a good bit of it). Reduction (maybe the most prevalent note on the nose, actually). Plush, silky fruit on the palate. I bit heavily wooded on the finish as the oak takes away some of the finish. Pretty acids. Very good if lacking a bit of character or vibrancy. Most like the chacra pinots that I've had of late.
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This is a wine that allows those who really like fat, modern west coast pinot noir to inch over to a more nuanced style. This is definitely a new world wine and is a little too heavy and candied for me, but it has some background stems and vineyard presence that are interesting. There is nothing about this wine that is "burgundian" (that much abused sobriquet selected when some semblance of structure appears). The wine held up well and was a little better on night 2. Several people tonight "loved" this wine and wanted to buy more. Not me, it lacks drive and food complimentarity, but I could see potential in the background. Keep trying - pick earlier, more stems and no oak.
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Nice juice. Lots of pinot pop. A big bright hunk of fruit at first, but then a smooth and pretty graceful finish. Would never mistake this for an old-world wine, but it's still got some style.
Day 2: much more restrained after 24 hours open. still showing nicely, with a long palate and resonating finish. this wine should age nicely for 5+ years.
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Very bright PN with lots of tart red fruits. On the nose it has bright raspberries and mossy forest floor. In the mouth it's almost all raspberry and tart cherry. There is a little bit of earth but not a lot.
A great value new world style PN at about $30.
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PnP and then revisit 24 hours later. Clearly a lot of good going on here (fruit, flavors), and unfortunately a fair bit of bad as well, knocking this out of the very good range for me. I think the vintage hurt here as there's not enough fruit, and definitely not enough structure to support the oak, which sticks out. There's a chance it integrates with time, but my money's not on this one given the lack of concentration from 2011. I have a second bottle and will give it a few years, but I don't see this evolving like a well-balanced Burgundy as others have noted. It just doesn't have the finesse, balance or structure. Again, not bad as the fruit is of good quality, and for $26 it's actually pretty darn serviceable for domestic pinot noir.
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Had been opened for 48 hrs in fridge before I tried it. Wow, nice surprise, big step ahead of most readily available pinots. Great flavor profile throughout the palate and tasty finish. None of the underlying sweetness often found in some Pinot noirs.
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Decanted 4 hours. Dark purple/red. Good nose of spice, flowers and blue fruit. A bit light on the palate. Some good minerality with the fruit and allspice, but lacking enough weight and mid-palate presence.
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Gobs of enticing cinnamon emanate from the decanter and then nothing but thin, simple, olive brine. DESMARTEAU's notes are spot-on, as are some of the other low, yet hopeful, ratings. The remaining bottles are going to bed for a long slumber.
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thin, acids, astringent, bitter, seawater..fruit is asleep....popped and poured...will not open again for 10 years as this is reminiscent of a young burgundy that will get magical in time.
I got this at a steep discount and was excited to finally taste an Evening Land wine after hearing so many good things. I opened, decanted, waited 30-ish minutes, and was greeted with a big glass of meh. It smelled and tasted like classic, well-made Pinot but at a volume of 2. If anything it had even less taste after decanting more. I tend to like bigger wines, so if understatement, shyness, muted is your thing you might like it. But it did nothing for me. I was amused to see that the '12 of the same wine was #3 on the WS best 100 list--doubt I'll get to compare the vintages but I am very curious to see if that's any more forceful.
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Super Burgundian in style, with funk and wet compost earth on the front nose, plus leather, smoke, meat and a touch of cherry fruit. Palate is pure saline and gravelly earth. Very bottom vine with little fruit apparent. All stones, earth, farm yard and wet compost. Very natural and deconstructed.
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I would have guessed Burgundy in a blind tasting. Red fruits (cranberry, raspberry) in a very angular style. Good acid and a bit of smokiness. Seems young. Will be interesting to see where this goes. Note to self: space out consumption of remaining bottles.
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Well I bought a case of this as a mystery wine I got a good deal, so its shooting craps, however I hope that this wine evolves in a good way because, it was not described at all the way it actually tastes. (((here is the description for the wine, which is why I bought it: "It is not an ooze-monster trying to obtain points - quite the opposite. It pushes to the head of the domestic Pinot Noir class because of its organic/hands-off principles and the origin of its fruit. In its attempt to showcase terroir and varietal symmetry over massive new oak and carnival extraction, it races past the field like Jeff Gordon. ")))) This is my note for this wine:It is NOT an ooze monster, however, Instead of understanding the 2011 vintage in Oregon, the winemakers here used some new oak, 30% according to the website, which in a riper year might have been fine, which totally overwhelems the fruit(maybe only for now). The Oak, along with pretty drastic over extraction shrouds in spoof what could have been a pure and gorgeous lighter style wine that fits the vintage. I really don't like the over extraction.. this is the problem to me they extracted stuff that in a lighter vintage should not be in the wine. Instead..they tried to make a prestige wine in a style that didn't match the vintage. Heavy handed winemaking here...I don't understand why American winemakers try to work AGAINST THE VINTAGE instead of with it...still trying to please WA, WS in this instance is my guess.I hope this smooths out. Maybe in 5 years the oak will integrate..if not a waste of great fruit.I am keeping this wine open and tasting over 5 days to see what happens.. Will report so far on day 2 stuck in same mode. TO BE FAIR, let me say my Girlfriend who likes oak and extraction more than I, liked this wine A LOT!!
Consistent with previous two bottles. Medium crimson in color, this wine reveals raspberry, forest floor and mushroom on the nose. The mouth feel brought bright acidity, excellent lift and dark red fruits of wild cherry as well as black tea. The finish was medium with bracing acidity and intense smoke and lavender undertones.
Purchased at a nicely discounted price of $25US, this is a very Burgundian style PN that will easily drink well now and through 2020.
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Excellent Pinot. Very long finish. I decanted for 2 hours and this wine is still very young. It will be interesting to see how it evolves over the next few years. I expect this wine to be fully mature in 2018-2019.
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WMCCONE54 hit it out of the ballpark with his description of his interesting experience with this wine. Potentially, a remarkable wine combining both Burdundy and Willamette. Save this one until 2018 or decant for, at least,a tow hours.
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Consistent with previous bottle.Medium crimson in color, this wine reveals raspberry, forest floor and mushroom on the nose. The mouth feel brought bright acidity, excellent lift and dark red fruits of wild cherry as well as black tea. The finish was medium with bracing acidity and intense smoke and lavender undertones.
Purchased at a nicely discounted price of $25US, this is a very Burgundian style PN that will easily drink well now and through 2020.
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Medium crimson in color, this wine reveals raspberry, forest floor and mushroom on the nose. The mouth feel brought bright acidity, excellent lift and dark red fruits of wild cherry as well as black tea. The finish was medium with bracing acidity and intense smoke and lavender undertones.
Purchased at a nicely discounted price of $25US, this is a very Burgundian style PN that will easily drink well now and through 2020.
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2nd time having this bottling and it was pleasantly much better. Overall nice balance, earthy, delicious red fruit and loads of black pepper reminiscent of a Northern Rhone Syrah. Best to decant for a few hours before drinking.
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Let breathe for 90 minutes after uncorking at first. Initially lacked fruit, showing a bit more of a herbaceous quality and loads of black pepper. After a few more hours breathing it started to unwind, emerging with notes of tart red berry fruit and cherry, black pepper, forest floor, herbs, mineral. Light bodied with medium+ acidity, delicate fine tannins and medium-light finish.
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cherry and mild/sweet spice dominate the palate - smooth and lush flavors - the nose was very odd when first opened, tons of funk and and almost CDP profile. However, that blew over in 30 min.
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Interesting wine. Body and acidity of good burgundy, but flavors and aromas of the new world. nice and balanced - I think this will age quite gracefully.
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I was anxious to try this given the wildly divergent community ratings on this wine, most of which I can only assume are from the recent flash sale blowouts.
I didn't get any taint or vegetal elements. The wine had a beautiful nose, which the lightweight body couldn't quite match. Overall I thought this was an elegant and well-made wine but was surprisingly missing a little zest and energy in the middle. I wouldn't pay full price for this wine but it was definitely worth what I paid.
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Upon the initial opening and tasting, I thought the wine was borderline and possibly tainted. Similar experience to other recent reviews: no fruit, thin, all vegetative, not very good. Based on my prior excellent experience with the "regular"bottling, I decided to put it in the decanter and give it some air in hopes it might come around.
About two hours in the decanter, this really started to blossom: spicy red raspberry, tart cranberry, dried cherry, mushroom, forest floor, funky barnyard, Dr Pepper, and celery stick all wound around a solid tannic core. Lighter, Burgundian style with a great balance of acidity, fruit, and earthiness. Lively, mouthfeel leading to a very, very long finish.
Very complex and layered, but it requires at least a two hour decant, or a few more years of cellaring. Don't give up if it tastes "off" after the initial pour, it probably just needs lots of air!
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I have to disagree with the previous tasting notes. Initial taste was thin and completely lacking in body. Came back to it after an hour decant and got some pepper notes but still surprisingly devoid of any character.
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See previous note. EIther this should have been drunk on the fruit or it's in a tunnel, waiting to come out on the other side with even more finesse and complexity. Day two after a second long decant, the magic started flowing through the air from my big boule de bourgogne. And the nose is fantastic. Still on the dry, fresh, thinnish and elegant side. A great wine if you want to prove a friend wrong to believe new world pinot can not be as elegant and fresh as the burgundy version originale.
4/25/2024 - Luvwine1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely elegant Burgundian Pinot. It is mature but balanced with, to my palate, ample fruit, resolved tannins, enticing nose, and medium length. Wish I had more.
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1/6/2024 - sanjuanlewis Likes this wine: 89 Points
See previous note. Drink.
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12/22/2023 - wirelesswine Likes this wine: 92 Points
At this age, this wine is very soft and silky in texture. The nose has dried cherry and cranberry, a slight barnyard earthiness, pencil shavings and a hint of cigar box.
This carries to the palate which has medium - tannin and medium acid and intensity. Overall this is an elegant and Burgundian example of Pinot.
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11/25/2023 - sanjuanlewis Likes this wine: 88 Points
Over the hill.pleasant enough, but a shadow of its former self.
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11/24/2023 - lake.vino Likes this wine: 93 Points
Remarkably refined, restrained for Oregon - could have nearly passed as a burgundy in a blind. Good red fruit, sweetness, a hint of oak. Remarkably high coplexity. Great bargain.
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8/20/2023 - arthrovine wrote:
Popped and poured, this is austere and unyielding. After a few hours of air, it blossomed revealing many great aromas and flavors described previously. Terrific acidity and tension softening with time on the palate and in the lengthy finish. Black tea and beautiful aged red fruits. While I agree with the others perceptions, I disagree with their assessments.
This is beautiful cool climate aged austere Oregon pinot - all day every day. It needs several hours to show itself. I’m fortunate to have 4 more bottles and will drink them over the next 5 fearlessly- but with lengthy aeration.
David, I will buy some of your 15 bottles that you have left.
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6/4/2023 - PhN Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delicious PN ready to drink. Enjoy
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4/14/2023 - mdanyc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Last bottle. Matured nicely over time. Earthy, a hint of smoke when first opened, lean but not overly so. I would buy again given the chance.
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4/6/2023 - pdxwineguy wrote: 90 Points
At first a little closed and acidic, and almost no bricking but color is a little faded on the edges of the pour. Has nice damp earth and hint of cedar on the nose. Tastes like Oregon Pinot with ripe strawberries, loamy feel and super fine tannins. Seems like it’s missing some secondary flavors especially for the price, or it’s starting to be over the hill.
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2/19/2023 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pop and pour. My last bottle. This has aged very well. Nicely integrated, savory fruit with mellow acid and lots of earth. Really good aged Oregon Pinot. Not sure how long these will last but I don't see any reason to hold further.
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1/11/2023 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 89 Points
Somehow I still have 16 bottles of these and haven't had one in five+ years. Whoops. Seems like a bit past time to drink! Nice bricking color. Aromas are pretty for aged Oregon Pinot, showing lots of tertiary development of old growth forest floor, with decaying tree branches throughout. There's also an herbal component, as well as some old soft red fruits, but the fruits are certainly in the background. A very lovely, mature Oregon nose. Palate entry first starts with vibrant acidity, and you note the body is on the lighter side for Oregon (perhaps the vintage). Nice intensity in the mouth, with more red fruit character, old tree bark, mushrooms, and that acidity carrying it the whole way through keeping things bright. The finish hits with vibrant acidity, but here you get some older mushroom tones poking their way through. It certainly is the acidity that lingers the longest, leaving the biggest impression, but the flavors that linger are all on the more mature side of the spectrum. In a fine place to drink, and quite a bit better than my last bottle from 2017. This bottle didn't improve on day two. I'll start drinking these in earnest and posting if I have any bottle variation.
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9/6/2022 - mtaczak Likes this wine: 91 Points
needs at least 90 minutes of air. austere and tight on open, takes a while to gain depth and intensity. this has aged very well, and could go a bit longer still if you like more tertiary flavor.
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7/10/2022 - geexploitation Likes this wine:
Really good. Still showing some spunk 11 years on. Some earth, barrels notes, spice. Good acid, good with food.
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3/27/2022 - btock wrote: 90 Points
My contribution to a double blind Pinot evening. Nice length with prominent black cherry and some sweetness. I had guessed Russian River Valley with 7-10 years on it. Nope! :)
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3/27/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Monthly Wine Group: Double Blind Pinots From Anywhere (Ciao Bella, Mpls): Medium ruby color. PNP, drank a tasting pour double blind over an hour plus. Wine #6. Note taking was fading at this point. Love the swampy, damp earth nose, mixed berry fruit, and floral notes; similar on the palate, mouth watering acidity with some astringent tannins. Guessed Oregon about 10 years. I should have probably recognized this as Seven Springs with all that earthiness. 91+pts.
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11/20/2021 - Easter Everywhere Likes this wine:
very good, ready to roll
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10/23/2021 - hosscrow Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drink now at its peak. Decant for at least one hour for the aroma to emerge. Incredible balance strikes me first of all, when the sum is greater than the parts. Lovely medium dark ruby heading to garnet and back from the rim. Dark for a wine so light on its feet. Subtle but unmistakable Pinot complexity(Old world/Oregon) with wet earth and mushroom, inviting savoriness, bright, light red with raspberry and cranberry but also darker blackberry fruits, lavender, a hint of cola and tea, smoke and something herbaceous, tarragon? As I said, a complex beautifully integrated wine. Medium body, tartness balances the variety of fruits, smooth but present tannins on a balanced, extended finish. Nothing flashy here, simply well made, terroir-driven wine. A Paar-Moorman project to be sure
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6/13/2021 - wine247365 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Burgundian-like…delicate and feminine. Buy again. Killer QPR and easily lasts thru 2024.
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5/21/2021 - wmccone54 wrote: 92 Points
Not sure I could pick this out as a New World Pinot Noir: aromatic profile is savory, gamey, stinky earth, and mushroomy; texture is light; flavor profile shows wild strawberry, crushed raspberry, tart cranberry, diluted cherry cola, earthy mushroom, wet forest floor, and wet red granite. Structure still noticeable; but fruits are still providing balance. Complex. Long finish. Pleasantly surprised this is still going strong...not at maturity and may drink well for another 1-3 years. I really wasn’t expecting much, and this turned out being quite nice...if you like the style.
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2/16/2021 - wiscgrad wrote: 86 Points
very funky on 1st night. a bit better on the 2nd night, but strange flavor profile for an Oregon pinot.
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2/3/2021 - PhN Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious, balanced, excellent depth and flavor. Now, finally, ready to drink.
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12/24/2020 - H. Eugene Likes this wine: 90 Points
Excellent Pinot Noir
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12/11/2020 - H. Eugene Likes this wine: 90 Points
The flavor profile is very different from most Pinot Noirs. Sort of a wood-leather flavor profile. Excellent Pinot and drinking well now. Be sure to decant for 3-4 hours. On the 2nd day this wine was better; it had really opened up and all the flavors came together.
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11/26/2020 - JMFWC Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decent amount of acid and subdued fruit. Went very well with chantrelle asparagus pasta in a white wine butter sauce. Drink now.
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11/17/2020 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted one hour. Still showing well if you like the style, which seems to be polarizing. On the palate, savory red fruit and peels, bright acid, earth.
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11/1/2020 - 2caveman wrote: 86 Points
This had unattractive green notes that I couldn’t get beyond. Tasted over 2 nights with consistent disappointment. Not unpleasant but nothing to justify the $s
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10/31/2020 - Scamber Likes this wine:
More developed than last bottle from nearly three years ago. Still a mid-palate hollowness between the softened cherry and the strong acidic backbone. Decanted and drank over three hours. Agree with recent tasters’ notes that we would have guessed Burg. Unusual and good but by no means (slightly) weird like our previous bottle and the experience of many earlier tasters.
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10/17/2020 - Armando B wrote:
Very consistent with my notes on bottles of this wine in 2016 and 2018. Blind, I would confidently (and worngly) guess it a Burg every time. Note to self--open last bottle for a Burg-o-phile.
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10/5/2020 - Big Ted Red Likes this wine: 88 Points
Typical of the vintage. Should have consumed it a few years ago.
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9/14/2020 - Château de Farmer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious and near top as far as US pinots can go. Way closer to Burgundy than California, but with a distinct Oregon flair. Bottle age is lovely right now--still nice red cranberry fruit, but some clean tar notes and smoke with orange peel. High acid and pleasant rusty color. Light and elegant.
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7/16/2020 - thalver wrote:
This bottle showed more brett than previous bottles. It did seem to blow off....somewhat....with time.
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4/12/2020 - wmccone54 Likes this wine:
Enjoyed over a three day period, vacuumed sealed in between. In spite of a cool and wet vintage, this producer did phenomenally well with this wine. It definitely will not appeal to all palates, but some with find this very complex and nuanced. This is drinking well if you enjoy a very aromatic, complex, slightly austere, light bodied Pinot Noir. 90-91
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4/11/2020 - JohnSh wrote: 91 Points
Interesting to see so many different notes on this. My bottle showed very well. It was certainly showing the 2011 vintage, but in a very good way for me. I enjoyed the cool red fruit flavours, silky tannins on the medium bodied palate. Nice to taste this restrained OR pinot - another 'shitty' 2011!
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2/21/2020 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
Opened by Mark. a very nice round Pinot which was drinking quite well. Ruby color. Notes of ripe berries and smoke. 92 points.
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1/18/2020 - btock Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was better than expected and leads me to state the following - I continue to enjoy underrated OR Pinot vintages. The wines sometimes are less powerful and more transparent, and with the intensity of flavor that OR can deliver naturally, that seems to produce good harmony to this palate. Here, the texture and aromas were on display. Leaning towards black fruits, a bit of earth, loamy aromas. This was very engaging and enjoyed by a table to wine nerds. Excited to see how my remaining bottle performs in a couple years.
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12/4/2019 - lousall wrote: 88 Points
Not bad. Like it, don't love it. Light body, tart cherries.
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10/20/2019 - Dale Rattles Likes this wine: 91 Points
With the reviews being all over the place, and my own tepid reviews from a few years back at hand, I said “what the hell” and did a PnP through VinAire. A bit of bricking around the thin rim as I poured, I thought this might have turned. However, the aroma was fresh and bright, no funk to speak of, and the taste was very upfront if a bit austere. Now much more Burgundian and has improved incredibly. Cola notes dominate the delicate presentation. A bit of bite on the back shows the alcohol and acids are still there, no drying tannins at all, this is savory and delicious. Wow, I’m glad I didn’t pour these down the drain like I was tempted to do two years back.
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9/2/2019 - DWaterman Does not like this wine: 76 Points
Not sure what was going on with this bottle. I remember seeing this at a local wine shop for $275 as it was touted as greatness. Upon opening, the nose of funk was so strong I thought it was a bad bottle.
After letting it open up, it was approachable but not good at all. Reminded me of a northern Rhône vs Pinot noir. There wasn’t much there to remark about.
Tried again the next day and it did not improve at all. Very disappointing showing here. I had several bottles of the 2011 eola amity and they were all solid offerings.
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8/14/2019 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 91 Points
consistent with notes of 8/27/2015
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8/7/2019 - Riccardo Malocchio wrote:
This is starting to come around, and was drunk with much pleasure after about 1hr slow-ox in bottle. Fruit has become more savory with a subtle spiciness over layer upon layer of herb, mineral and soil tones. Silky and a touch lean on the palate with good energy from acid, but neither shrill nor hard. The tannin remains somewhat unresolved, but nicely fine grained. Has the stuffing to wait for those tertiary notes to come around, but quite pleasurable here at the front end of its drinking window.
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8/7/2019 - DesMarteau wrote:
should have followed my prior note....anyway this takes 5 hours to open and is very subtle...
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8/2/2019 - wmccone54 wrote: 90 Points
One word description: COMPLEX.
Drinks more like a Burgundy that a US domestic Pinot Noir. Complex flavors, fruit in the background, high acidity provides structure. Not a “crowd pleaser” style.
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7/28/2019 - FlyPig wrote: 90 Points
Much better with food (tuna steak and honey cinnamon sweet potatoes one night, filet and salad the next.) Thin, acidic and light on fruit after each meal. Admittedly Oregon Pinot is not my jam, so take for what it’s worth.
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7/26/2019 - Quarked wrote:
Subtle but complex when drunk on its own, but with food (salmon) this was metallic and bitter. So I enjoyed it, just not with food.
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5/28/2019 - thalver wrote:
It seems as though this bottling has put on some weight in the last few years, or perhaps it is just bottle variation. This one showed quite a bit of brett of the metallic-tasting sort.
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4/27/2019 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 88 Points
Enjoyed this, liked but didn’t love it. Nice dark color and the intense aroma that I love from PN. Felt slightly out of balance to me an a little bitter on the finish.
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3/3/2019 - davidspieker wrote: 89 Points
Nice clear ruby color. Dark cherry and menthol aromas. Lush but earthy cherry flavors with some leather on a lengthy finish. Good acidity for food.
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1/24/2019 - brinko99 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Beautifully complex yet simply delicious. Soft fruit but balanced with integrated tannin and just enough zip. The alcohol shows itself on the nose but remains held in check on the palate.
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1/11/2019 - nefarm Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drying on finish and a touch alcoholic, but clearly reaching its potential. If I had another I would wait a few years.
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12/25/2018 - cab blends wrote: 87 Points
Classic Pinot noir.
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12/25/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 87 Points
Light ruby red. Interesting nose with lots of funkiness. Aromas that are a bit smoky, burnt, twigs and light cherries. Light bodied with medium acidity (6/10). A bit weak on the palate with cherries, smokiness and twigs. Medium finish. Not sure about drinking timeline on this.
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12/18/2018 - pinoteer wrote:
Glad to see these go, too much Cola and Asian spice for my taste. It does go well with curry, though, which is what we're having tonight. For half the purchase price, it might be more appealing, but price appeal can only go so far. Hard to believe that the most recent WMJ auction price is $42!
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11/30/2018 - PhN Likes this wine: 89 Points
Well made delicious Oregon PN good fruit balanced tannin. 30 minutes to open which suggests to me that it is not finished maturing. I agree, drink now to 2021.
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9/28/2018 - studleytrey wrote: 89 Points
Largely consistent with '16 note, but the oak is not standing out at all for me tonight, and the orange component is toned down. Balanced, enjoyable, if not overly complex.
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9/24/2018 - Dale Rattles wrote: 89 Points
Almost one year after my last note, I gave this a go based on recent reviews. The funk that others have highlighted blew off after 15-30 minutes, and actually this was much thinner than I expected. Just no “there” behind the big approach. Not bad at all, but after all this time I was hoping for more.
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8/29/2018 - joraesque wrote: 89 Points
Earthy, plummy, dry, with medium-full tannins (for a Pinot Noir). Drank well over several days, with no upside. Good but falling short of being outstanding. 12.9% ABV.
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8/18/2018 - PT insurgent wrote:
See previous notes.
Basic Oregon pinot.
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7/8/2018 - thalver wrote:
Quite reticent upon opening. It took about 45 minutes or an hour to open up. Show's good pinot typicity, and the somewhat shy nature of the vintage. Ready to drink now, should hold for several years.
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6/3/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote: 80 Points
There is a vegetal element that I can’t get past, despite good depth of black fruit. No better 24 hours later.
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5/28/2018 - Armando B wrote: 89 Points
Much like my previous notes for this wine.
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5/22/2018 - wirelesswine wrote: 90 Points
I was a little worried after reading all the comments here. This bottle was not the weird wine some are describing, if anything it was just tight, though definitely earthy and a touch funky. If you're expecting cherry candy, no, this is not it. But for some serious, old world style pinot, look no further. My suspicion that this would improve with age may be supported by the fact that the 1/3 of the bottle that I re-corked and stored in fridge for 2 nights showed quite well. There's complexity here, and I'm thinking a few more years sideways may be beneficial.
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5/21/2018 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pop and pour at room temperature. Get over the manure in the nose because on the palate this is drinking beautifully with red and black fruit, a hint of licorice, and a very long finish of dried berries and black pepper.
UPDATE: even better on day two. 93. Put on some weight and riper fruit on the finish.
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1/1/2018 - Scamber Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very off-kilter nose upon opening: sharp sour funk, menthol. Per guidance from earlier comments, decanted for 90 mins before drinking, kept drinking for another 2.5 hours. The angularity/weirdness largely blew off revealing sour cherry and raspberry. Nose and palate have distinct matchstick vibe that obscures a fainter sous-bois character. Acidity is high, body is light, and finish is long and astringent. Cut through tonight’s mushroom cream sauce. Had we tasted blind, I might have guessed something volcanic (e.g., Etna Rosso). Interesting and good, I look forward to next bottle in a few years. Bonus points for intriguing and tolerable weirdness.
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12/31/2017 - rpk99 wrote: 87 Points
Meh....seems a bit too acidic as well
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12/17/2017 - PT insurgent wrote:
Ripe red fruits, kinda reduced and more bit stinky, probably just needs air. Sweet oak, sweet red fruits, spice. Again just ok.
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12/16/2017 - edgar Likes this wine: 90 Points
I have to say i'm not getting too much funk on this, certainly not enough to derail the wine. If anything, just a bit on the nose, but the palate is a really ripe sour cherry (maybe the funky bits add to this punch?) and full, round middle. Agree that this would be more Burgundian in style vs the other Oregon wines, but found it perfectly enjoyable.
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11/30/2017 - Gunman Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not sure what folks are focused on with the funk... This is a perfectly lovely Oregon pinot. Not brilliant, not spectacular, but solid. A little light... Perhaps a bit more Burgundian. Maybe that's where the funk comes in. Works for me.
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11/28/2017 - Italiana wrote:
Very pretty and transparent red. Unfortunate about the funky aromas which persisted and were pronounced even in the flavors. Overall, a bit out of kilter.
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11/14/2017 - Dale Rattles wrote: 91 Points
Reviewing others' comments from Sept-Oct, I was hesitant to open up one of these bottles, but they are just languishing in my cellar so I said "what the hell". Upon opening, I wholly agree with QUAFFING IN COLORADO. Just crazy funk/shit stink and the taste was completely off-kilter. As recommended by DBP, I put the open bottle in the cellar for 3 days (I tried it after 24 hours and it still was awful), and it smoothed out considerably, turning into a quite nice bottle! No more funk, a muted, somewhat tart taste, good structure, light-medium weight. I guess that's how these bottles are going to drink. Rating is for day 3, obviously.
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10/28/2017 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 87 Points
There is something a bit funky and strange about this wine in this vintage. It's usually quite lovely and refined, but this one isn't quite. The aromas are a little stale, showing lots of wet leaves, old softening red and black berries, and an odd turkey dripping note. Puckering on entry, more of the soft wet leaves and soft smashed berries. The acidity is nice, with moderate tannins as its held. As the structure takes over it actually improves in impression. Same notes on the finish. Structurally the acid really dials up and the tannins also become pervasive, but they are fine and quite lovely. The problem is that stale fruit/leaves thing lingers too long. The structure here is nice, but the flavors are little off putting for me. I've only had two bottles of my two cases thus far, but it does make me rather concerned for my many remaining bottles. This is an OK Oregon Pinot Noir, but even at the half price point it's not a good QPR today. With the complexion of the fruit it doesn't seem to me like this wine is going to recover itself.
UPDATE: I forgot this bottle was open and I came back to finish it three days after it was opened. It was open to air at cellar temperature the whole time. Needless to say, it was vastly improved on day three. It was still completely intact but it was way smoother and rounder; much more integrated. None of those odd flavors I mentioned on day one. I'm wondering if these bottles are simply showing some reduction on opening and need significant time to blow off. I'll dive into another bottle in more detail shortly, but this time letting it sit for a while before diving in with detail. Score is for day one.
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10/18/2017 - wmccone54 wrote: 90 Points
Similar to my last bottle in December 2016: complex and layered, light in texture, spicy red raspberry, forest floor, cherry cola, mushroom, and herbal tea among the most notable characteristics. Very led world style probably driven by the cool and somewhat rainy vintage. Medium finish. Pairs well with lighter textured foods.
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9/29/2017 - Quaffing in Colorado Does not like this wine: 83 Points
Full-blown, barnyard shit-funk with stemmy hay on the nose. We sometimes like a bit of brett, but this is brett gone bad. Mostly tart, savory notes with little fruit on the palate. The bottle variation continues with this vintage. 9.9.17: Brambly, herbaceous and over-oaked. There's slight cinnamon on the bouquet with spicy orange peel, black tea, green pepper, stems, and tart cranberry with astringency on the palate and medium-short finish. Showing slight bricking and orange on the rim. The olive brine flavor evolves into some ginger snap after a loooong decant. 2011 was a cool, and challenging year in the WV, and it's quite evident in the treatment of this austere bottling. Drink up, as this doesn't have time to improve.
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9/28/2017 - davidspieker wrote: 88 Points
Mature ruby color. Nice baking spice aromas. Dark cherry and cranberry flavors lack complexity. Medium length finish.
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8/20/2017 - sanjuanlewis Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking much better than the seven springs at this moment. Still has another year of life left in the bottle.
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6/30/2017 - wiscgrad wrote: 86 Points
initially pnp. quite funky on the nose and the first sips were quite simple. tasted like water with some bright acidity. decanted and around the 3 hour mark the fruit finally came out and was just ok. drank 2nd half a couple days later and not much better. I'm confused by these most recent scores. maybe this gets better in 3-5 years
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6/29/2017 - chablis28 wrote: 91 Points
Same btl as R&Rler Dam, I love the 2011 vintage in Oregon and this btl was no exception. This had a leanishness to it that made me think Volnay blind but turned out 2011 Oregon when revealed. So, I wasn't completely off the mark :). Red fruited, mineral - earthiness with some spice notes. It seemed a little whole clusterish and Volnay like. Fun wine and thank you Jimmy for your generosity! It's always cool when the host does a little cellar raiding. I'm hosting a small rose deck party later in July and I plan to do the same with another blind; PN, Burg, Barolo or Barbaresco later that evening. BTW, my local TW has this for $85 while WS Pro shows it readily available for sub $70. TW is a master at the illusion of being a low cost retailer!
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6/29/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Red Burgs and More at Mr. Jimmy's Farewell to Irving (Jimmy's Place, Mpls): A blind bonus bottle generously provided by Jimmy. Clearly pinot and thought to be an earthy Oregon pinot, which was exactly what it was. I always love Seven Springs wines and this was not an exception. Plenty of red berries and front end earthiness that I adore from this vineyard. These '11's continue to get better and like '07 will have great longevity if you can lay off them. 91+ to 92pts.
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6/29/2017 - PT insurgent wrote:
Fruity, oak spice, feels like it lacks a bit. Just ok I think.
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2/19/2017 - JMFWC Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pale red in color. Pepper on the nose. Bright acid and strawberry on the palate with a hit of minerality and sourness late palate. Tannic but tobacco on a shorter finish.
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1/10/2017 - DugyDog wrote: 87 Points
From Coravin -- Currently this wine is way too young -- I got VERY light, tart red fruits...cranberry and quite weirdly red grapefruit. No earthiness or other interesting notes.
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1/5/2017 - EllisWine Likes this wine: 94 Points
OMG gorgeous nose earthy dark fruit mouth filling delicious balance long finish
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1/4/2017 - RKatzDO wrote:
Too green... Let sit for 5-10 years and try again.
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12/26/2016 - Rickets wrote: 90 Points
definitely drank too young. decanted for 4 hours prior.
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12/15/2016 - thebonnydooner wrote: 90 Points
Nice typical Oregon Pinot. Light to medium bodied, nice strawberry and cherry fruit but on the lighter side, soft juicy cherry tannins and bright acidity. Not overly long but a tasty earthy mushroom and sous Boris laced finish with nice character. Very tasty.
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12/14/2016 - wmccone54 wrote: 90 Points
As others have pointed out, and I agree, there is significant bottle variation with this wine. I had a great initial bottle, a less than stellar second bottle, and this one is pretty good, It takes at least an hour in the decanter for this to start singing.
Made in a lighter, feminine style, light texture and a slightly transparent ruby color. Definitely leans more toward "Old World" styling versus the more fruit forward "New World" approach. Complex aromatics and flavors of spicy strawberry, wild raspberry, tart cranberry, cherry cola, mushroom, herbal tea, wet leaves, and green herbs. Layered throughout, and improves as it aerates. Solid finish. Good balance, decent acidity, and enough fruit to support another 4-5 years.
Vintage conditions yielded many washed out and diluted wines; this producer did well given the less than stellar vintage. Very good and it might improve, especially if you get a "lucky bottle".
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10/30/2016 - Dhotchki Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Lingering moldy flower taste. Hoping this is a bad bottle.
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10/23/2016 - jhanne8 Likes this wine:
Was good but prob not a great QPR.
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10/9/2016 - stbraunt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really smooth, tasty Pinot drinking very well right now. A little on the sweet side but easy drinking while watching TV on the couch.
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10/9/2016 - Bill1100 wrote: 87 Points
Nothing special on pnp. Passable after about an hour. Better next night but overpriced if that's as good as it's going to get.
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10/7/2016 - fingers wrote: 87 Points
Ignoring any bottle variation, I think this has improved a little since my last one in March. The bouquet is stronger and the palate has more depth, although it still seems to drop off in the middle somewhere before the lingering smoky finish takes over. A lot of roasted pecan and nearly burnt mushroom and tar notes with very dark berry and citric acid. I still prefer the regular Seven Springs bottling for this vintage. 5+11+14+7 = 87
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10/3/2016 - studleytrey wrote: 89 Points
Transparent garnet color veering towards orange at the edges. Aromas of smoke, tar, herbs, and dark red fruits. Light to medium body, medium(+) acid and finish, and flavors of black cherry, cola, orange, black tea, and spices. The orange is really popping here—more juice than peel. Pretty good overall, though the oak treatment is perhaps a little strong for my palate. Worked well with an apple and sweet potato stew tonight.
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9/18/2016 - Sourdough Likes this wine: 89 Points
I seem to findthus more acceptable and appealing than most. Nice nose with a touch of funk and pepper. Very smooth mouth feel. Red fruit, some stem, with lots of lepper and some baking spice. Comes across as really good grapes that were given extended macerstion and overextraction. Pretty good but not to potentisl.
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9/7/2016 - BBencz Does not like this wine:
Stemmy, green, raw and generally unpleasant. Tasted from two bottles. Both either flawed or just not good.
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8/22/2016 - nefarm Likes this wine: 87 Points
Alcohol still at forefront. More time will help. Very tart.
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8/14/2016 - Armando B wrote: 90 Points
I seem to like this wine more than other folks. Very similar to my first bottle in October 2015. Tart red fruit (cranberry) with saline and mineral notes. Nice texture.
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8/6/2016 - doctornoah wrote: 86 Points
A lithe elegant spindle of wine bludgeoned to death by over extraction and oak. Like asking a cornerback to play nose tackle
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7/30/2016 - gmat5497 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Close to being very good but just lacking the extra finesse.
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7/22/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 82 Points
Black fruit, spice hints, bitter/ green finish. Something went wrong here.
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7/12/2016 - Danthejuiceman Does not like this wine:
Somewhat bitter and one dimensional.
Actually worse on day two.
Surprised and disappointed in this Evening Land.
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7/9/2016 - Quarked wrote: 90 Points
On the nose, very floral. But this took a couple hours in the decanter to open up. When it did, those flowers were matched on the palate, which also showed forest floor and tart cherry. Will wait a couple years on the next bottle.
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5/6/2016 - DavilaDC Likes this wine: 89 Points
Extremely tart cherry and soft tannins. Slight wet earth indicative of the 2011 vintage. Not great, but not bad either.
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4/23/2016 - wmccone54 wrote:
Decanted for an hour plus based on prior experience. There seems to be significant bottle variation. This was not even close to being as good as the first bottle I enjoyed last August. It was thin and austere by the end of the evening; it took about three hours for it to fall apart.
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4/16/2016 - bklynwine wrote:
Cherry juice, mulling spices, autumn leaves (after a day or two on the ground in the woods) and tree bark; pleasantly lean, balanced acidity on day 1 but became tart on day 2; slight bitter finish but otherwise interesting pinot
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4/11/2016 - StainedGlass wrote: 87 Points
Bright medium red. Light and simple. No earthiness. While I appreciate the lighter style new world Pinots I don't think this would be confused with a PN from Burgundy. I did not find it over extracted or over-oaked. 12.9% abv.
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4/1/2016 - danielhess wrote: 85 Points
A bit of strawberry that gave way to cherry but not a complex wine. I thought maybe it needed to open, but after about 1/2 hour it did relax but not to anything better. Another disappointment in the Mystery category.
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3/29/2016 - Hammar wrote: 83 Points
It's main note for me was acidity. A little bit of pepper on the nose, as others have noted, but that's about it. Not terrible, but very lacking.
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3/20/2016 - cuffthis wrote: flawed
Corked just slightly. Returned for credit.
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3/16/2016 - fingers wrote: 83 Points
Doing a little compare with the non-La Source bottling that I drank two days ago and I followed this for three days open. This is a little lighter in color and also more reserved overall in bouquet than the regular bottling. Showing more mature and a little tomato sauce to go with the plum and dried cherry flavors on the palate. Acidity is a good measure higher and any tannins are negligible. I really found the regular Seven Springs version much more enjoyable... just not enough going on here for me. Could be bottle variation since it seems many here really like this, but it was really one of the most boring wines of the year for me. I also drank a bottle in January that was so hollow, I didn't bother to write a note. 4+8+14+7= 83
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3/3/2016 - cadamson wrote: 88 Points
Pretty much the same notes as the last couple of my notes here from the last handful of months.
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2/27/2016 - Quiet Lion wrote: 88 Points
Lots of apple peel. Not terribly balanced or elegant.
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2/13/2016 - PhN Likes this wine: 92 Points
On opening, light, spicy, some fruit. Yes, bell pepper. 90 minutes later it opened still spicy but balanced, light fruit and tannin. Delicious wine to drink with Dungeness crab and salad. Needs some time.
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2/10/2016 - Burgnick wrote: 90 Points
Nose was very floral with sweet red fruit, coffee bean, purple fruit and cedar wood. Palate was indeed a bit disjointed with tiny bit of green peppers and some under-ripe fruit. Although the alcohol and fruit were not fully integrated, this medium-bodied pinot was still quite enjoyable.
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1/26/2016 - domco wrote:
Better than my low expectations. Felt like it was a bit disjointed... here's the fruit, here's the alcohol. C liked it better than I did but thought a bit young and needed some time.
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1/23/2016 - cuffthis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with previous three bottles. Medium crimson in color, this wine reveals raspberry, forest floor and mushroom on the nose. The mouth feel brought bright acidity, excellent lift and dark red fruits of wild cherry as well as black tea. The finish was medium with bracing acidity and intense smoke and lavender undertones.
Purchased at a nicely discounted price of $25US, this is a very Burgundian style PN that will easily drink well now and through 2020.
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1/23/2016 - Djfermentation Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted and gave it 4 hours of total air and it was great. Initially it was a little earth dominant on the nose which eventually subsided to reveal an overall lovely Pinot. This one will likely age gracefully for another 5 to 7 years plus. Well made and nice balance for table.
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1/16/2016 - cadamson Likes this wine: 88 Points
As expected, pretty much the same as the bottle from two months ago (see my 11/27/15 note), no variation.
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1/15/2016 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
A surprisingly good wine; I reckoned it would be a solid QPR but this wine has a lot going for it and little detracting. Loads of purple and red fruit upfront with slight bramble. A good balance of herbal notes and cool earth on the palate. My only qualm is the acidity, as it punches a little on the finish but partially my problem for not having more food with it.
Drinking well here and likely will for the next 5-7 years, though it will drink for longer than that.
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1/15/2016 - liteagilis Likes this wine:
Not my style but definitely good. There seems to be a lot of ambivalence about this and I'm not sure why. Maybe just the expectations or the asking price? Ripe black and red fruits on the nose. definitely the riper side of Pinot. Oak. (And a good bit of it). Reduction (maybe the most prevalent note on the nose, actually). Plush, silky fruit on the palate. I bit heavily wooded on the finish as the oak takes away some of the finish. Pretty acids. Very good if lacking a bit of character or vibrancy. Most like the chacra pinots that I've had of late.
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1/13/2016 - DaButtah Likes this wine: 90 Points
A lot of bottle variation so far. This bottle was enjoyable but I've had a different experience every time I opened a bottle.
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1/12/2016 - vindictive wrote:
This is a wine that allows those who really like fat, modern west coast pinot noir to inch over to a more nuanced style. This is definitely a new world wine and is a little too heavy and candied for me, but it has some background stems and vineyard presence that are interesting. There is nothing about this wine that is "burgundian" (that much abused sobriquet selected when some semblance of structure appears). The wine held up well and was a little better on night 2. Several people tonight "loved" this wine and wanted to buy more. Not me, it lacks drive and food complimentarity, but I could see potential in the background. Keep trying - pick earlier, more stems and no oak.
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1/4/2016 - cse Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice juice. Lots of pinot pop. A big bright hunk of fruit at first, but then a smooth and pretty graceful finish. Would never mistake this for an old-world wine, but it's still got some style.
Day 2: much more restrained after 24 hours open. still showing nicely, with a long palate and resonating finish. this wine should age nicely for 5+ years.
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1/4/2016 - kietkopelli Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very bright PN with lots of tart red fruits. On the nose it has bright raspberries and mossy forest floor. In the mouth it's almost all raspberry and tart cherry. There is a little bit of earth but not a lot.
A great value new world style PN at about $30.
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12/26/2015 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 91 Points
consistent with notes of 8/27/2015
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12/19/2015 - RyanJames wrote: 88 Points
PnP and then revisit 24 hours later. Clearly a lot of good going on here (fruit, flavors), and unfortunately a fair bit of bad as well, knocking this out of the very good range for me. I think the vintage hurt here as there's not enough fruit, and definitely not enough structure to support the oak, which sticks out. There's a chance it integrates with time, but my money's not on this one given the lack of concentration from 2011. I have a second bottle and will give it a few years, but I don't see this evolving like a well-balanced Burgundy as others have noted. It just doesn't have the finesse, balance or structure. Again, not bad as the fruit is of good quality, and for $26 it's actually pretty darn serviceable for domestic pinot noir.
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12/12/2015 - ehudson Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good - better 24 hours later
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12/11/2015 - Chezmoi Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had been opened for 48 hrs in fridge before I tried it. Wow, nice surprise, big step ahead of most readily available pinots. Great flavor profile throughout the palate and tasty finish. None of the underlying sweetness often found in some Pinot noirs.
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12/6/2015 - kghaffar89 wrote: 91 Points
very young Burgundian style pinot. decanted for a few hours and drank alongside a terrific dinner. very great wine for the price.
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11/30/2015 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 91 Points
consistent with notes of 8/27/2015
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11/27/2015 - cadamson Likes this wine: 88 Points
Decanted 4 hours. Dark purple/red. Good nose of spice, flowers and blue fruit. A bit light on the palate. Some good minerality with the fruit and allspice, but lacking enough weight and mid-palate presence.
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11/25/2015 - Quaffing in Colorado wrote:
Gobs of enticing cinnamon emanate from the decanter and then nothing but thin, simple, olive brine. DESMARTEAU's notes are spot-on, as are some of the other low, yet hopeful, ratings. The remaining bottles are going to bed for a long slumber.
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11/21/2015 - DesMarteau wrote:
thin, acids, astringent, bitter, seawater..fruit is asleep....popped and poured...will not open again for 10 years as this is reminiscent of a young burgundy that will get magical in time.
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11/11/2015 - arthrovine wrote:
Decanted x 3 hrs. Just starting to show itself at that point
The Notes are all over the place on this wine. I agree that it's very much a 2011. I did not get an oaky profile whatsoever.
Aerate aerate aerate , or wait 8.
For $25 and properly deployed, it is a near no brainer for my taste.
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11/10/2015 - Mark3548 wrote: 85 Points
I got this at a steep discount and was excited to finally taste an Evening Land wine after hearing so many good things. I opened, decanted, waited 30-ish minutes, and was greeted with a big glass of meh. It smelled and tasted like classic, well-made Pinot but at a volume of 2. If anything it had even less taste after decanting more. I tend to like bigger wines, so if understatement, shyness, muted is your thing you might like it. But it did nothing for me. I was amused to see that the '12 of the same wine was #3 on the WS best 100 list--doubt I'll get to compare the vintages but I am very curious to see if that's any more forceful.
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11/10/2015 - T.E.D. wrote: 91 Points
Super Burgundian in style, with funk and wet compost earth on the front nose, plus leather, smoke, meat and a touch of cherry fruit. Palate is pure saline and gravelly earth. Very bottom vine with little fruit apparent. All stones, earth, farm yard and wet compost. Very natural and deconstructed.
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11/8/2015 - Armando B wrote: 89 Points
I would have guessed Burgundy in a blind tasting. Red fruits (cranberry, raspberry) in a very angular style. Good acid and a bit of smokiness. Seems young. Will be interesting to see where this goes. Note to self: space out consumption of remaining bottles.
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11/2/2015 - mrfroopy wrote: 79 Points
Well I bought a case of this as a mystery wine I got a good deal, so its shooting craps, however I hope that this wine evolves in a good way because, it was not described at all the way it actually tastes. (((here is the description for the wine, which is why I bought it: "It is not an ooze-monster trying to obtain points - quite the opposite. It pushes to the head of the domestic Pinot Noir class because of its organic/hands-off principles and the origin of its fruit. In its attempt to showcase terroir and varietal symmetry over massive new oak and carnival extraction, it races past the field like Jeff Gordon. ")))) This is my note for this wine:It is NOT an ooze monster, however, Instead of understanding the 2011 vintage in Oregon, the winemakers here used some new oak, 30% according to the website, which in a riper year might have been fine, which totally overwhelems the fruit(maybe only for now). The Oak, along with pretty drastic over extraction shrouds in spoof what could have been a pure and gorgeous lighter style wine that fits the vintage. I really don't like the over extraction.. this is the problem to me they extracted stuff that in a lighter vintage should not be in the wine. Instead..they tried to make a prestige wine in a style that didn't match the vintage. Heavy handed winemaking here...I don't understand why American winemakers try to work AGAINST THE VINTAGE instead of with it...still trying to please WA, WS in this instance is my guess.I hope this smooths out. Maybe in 5 years the oak will integrate..if not a waste of great fruit.I am keeping this wine open and tasting over 5 days to see what happens.. Will report so far on day 2 stuck in same mode. TO BE FAIR, let me say my Girlfriend who likes oak and extraction more than I, liked this wine A LOT!!
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10/30/2015 - cuffthis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with previous two bottles. Medium crimson in color, this wine reveals raspberry, forest floor and mushroom on the nose. The mouth feel brought bright acidity, excellent lift and dark red fruits of wild cherry as well as black tea. The finish was medium with bracing acidity and intense smoke and lavender undertones.
Purchased at a nicely discounted price of $25US, this is a very Burgundian style PN that will easily drink well now and through 2020.
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10/30/2015 - H. Eugene Likes this wine: 90 Points
Excellent Pinot. Very long finish. I decanted for 2 hours and this wine is still very young. It will be interesting to see how it evolves over the next few years. I expect this wine to be fully mature in 2018-2019.
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10/24/2015 - hosscrow wrote: 90 Points
WMCCONE54 hit it out of the ballpark with his description of his interesting experience with this wine. Potentially, a remarkable wine combining both Burdundy and Willamette. Save this one until 2018 or decant for, at least,a tow hours.
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10/23/2015 - cuffthis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with previous bottle.Medium crimson in color, this wine reveals raspberry, forest floor and mushroom on the nose. The mouth feel brought bright acidity, excellent lift and dark red fruits of wild cherry as well as black tea. The finish was medium with bracing acidity and intense smoke and lavender undertones.
Purchased at a nicely discounted price of $25US, this is a very Burgundian style PN that will easily drink well now and through 2020.
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10/18/2015 - cuffthis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium crimson in color, this wine reveals raspberry, forest floor and mushroom on the nose. The mouth feel brought bright acidity, excellent lift and dark red fruits of wild cherry as well as black tea. The finish was medium with bracing acidity and intense smoke and lavender undertones.
Purchased at a nicely discounted price of $25US, this is a very Burgundian style PN that will easily drink well now and through 2020.
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10/14/2015 - gmat5497 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent. Lots of power for a Pinot Noir.
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10/2/2015 - danielbleier wrote: 91 Points
consistent with notes of 8/27/2015
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9/17/2015 - DRS-Inc wrote: 91 Points
2nd time having this bottling and it was pleasantly much better. Overall nice balance, earthy, delicious red fruit and loads of black pepper reminiscent of a Northern Rhone Syrah. Best to decant for a few hours before drinking.
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8/31/2015 - FlyPig Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very classy Oregon Pinot. Fantastic buy at lastbottle price of $25, would be pretty disappointed if I'd paid full freight.
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8/27/2015 - DRS-Inc wrote:
Let breathe for 90 minutes after uncorking at first. Initially lacked fruit, showing a bit more of a herbaceous quality and loads of black pepper. After a few more hours breathing it started to unwind, emerging with notes of tart red berry fruit and cherry, black pepper, forest floor, herbs, mineral. Light bodied with medium+ acidity, delicate fine tannins and medium-light finish.
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8/27/2015 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 91 Points
cherry and mild/sweet spice dominate the palate - smooth and lush flavors - the nose was very odd when first opened, tons of funk and and almost CDP profile. However, that blew over in 30 min.
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8/23/2015 - mtaczak wrote: 90 Points
Interesting wine. Body and acidity of good burgundy, but flavors and aromas of the new world. nice and balanced - I think this will age quite gracefully.
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8/8/2015 - David_K wrote: 90 Points
I was anxious to try this given the wildly divergent community ratings on this wine, most of which I can only assume are from the recent flash sale blowouts.
I didn't get any taint or vegetal elements. The wine had a beautiful nose, which the lightweight body couldn't quite match. Overall I thought this was an elegant and well-made wine but was surprisingly missing a little zest and energy in the middle. I wouldn't pay full price for this wine but it was definitely worth what I paid.
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8/7/2015 - wmccone54 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Upon the initial opening and tasting, I thought the wine was borderline and possibly tainted. Similar experience to other recent reviews: no fruit, thin, all vegetative, not very good. Based on my prior excellent experience with the "regular"bottling, I decided to put it in the decanter and give it some air in hopes it might come around.
About two hours in the decanter, this really started to blossom: spicy red raspberry, tart cranberry, dried cherry, mushroom, forest floor, funky barnyard, Dr Pepper, and celery stick all wound around a solid tannic core. Lighter, Burgundian style with a great balance of acidity, fruit, and earthiness. Lively, mouthfeel leading to a very, very long finish.
Very complex and layered, but it requires at least a two hour decant, or a few more years of cellaring. Don't give up if it tastes "off" after the initial pour, it probably just needs lots of air!
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8/6/2015 - DaButtah wrote:
Hoping this bottle was shot as the only flavors I was getting were highly vegetale and totally lacked any character.
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8/4/2015 - Rangeldoug Does not like this wine: 80 Points
I have to disagree with the previous tasting notes. Initial taste was thin and completely lacking in body. Came back to it after an hour decant and got some pepper notes but still surprisingly devoid of any character.
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8/1/2015 - gmat5497 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent. Full bodied. A great pinot.
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7/31/2015 - magoedecker wrote: 89 Points
Pepper, pepper, and more pepper. Very good wine but need the right food pairing. I would suggest a a peppercorn encrusted filet.
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3/7/2015 - Omar Khayyam Likes this wine: 91 Points
See previous note. EIther this should have been drunk on the fruit or it's in a tunnel, waiting to come out on the other side with even more finesse and complexity. Day two after a second long decant, the magic started flowing through the air from my big boule de bourgogne. And the nose is fantastic. Still on the dry, fresh, thinnish and elegant side. A great wine if you want to prove a friend wrong to believe new world pinot can not be as elegant and fresh as the burgundy version originale.
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3/20/2014 - Omar Khayyam Likes this wine: 93 Points
judgement of sweden - wines from oregon and washington state (Operaterassen, Stockholm): spicy, dark berries, licorice, some pipe tobacco, earth very fresh, dry. great stuff, benchmark for eola style pinot: i.e. deep dark expression of pinot noir that could never be mistaken for anything but new world, at the same time fresh and clean and pure.
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10/18/2013 - ChrisRCarroll7@gmail.com wrote:
Medium - color. Forest Floor and black tea, plum and raspberry. Medium - body. Vanilla balanced finish. Light Tannins. Nice
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9/6/2013 - ChrisRCarroll7@gmail.com wrote:
Light Body. Tobacco. Smooth finish. Food Friendly.
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