Decanted and served with tasting menu @ Castagna. This is the first 2005 Oregon Pinot we've opened in some time. This wine is really coming around. From the moment we put our nose to the glass we knew this was something special. It paired amazingly well with the a number of the dishes on the menu. Pairing with a dish that included lemon balm was particularly memorable. The nose never let down -- even as we were finishing dinner it was still pulling us in. Overall the the flavors are still somewhat primary & fruit dominated. A nicely balanced PN, very food friendly, and simply delicious. I can't wait for this wine to develop further.
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cherry and herbal notes, an earthy purity too. i like this wine, and it isn't exorbitantly priced. but it reminds me of something keith levenberg said about california wines that are made by fermenting with indigenous yeasts, and farmed organically, etc. the producers are letting the terroir speak, but sometimes it just doesn't have all that much to say.
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a mixture of soil and brett upon opening, and the topsoil notes remain on the nose throughout the first evening, but are joined by cherry and cool herbal aromas. the palate is sweet and ripe but balanced nicely with acidity, and great purity. belle pente continues to put out the clean and pure stuff. not giving all that much yet on the palate other than the sweet fruit and cooling herbs, but there is clearly a lot going on under the surface. i have the other half of the bottle corked and in the fridge, so there will be some re-visiting going on over the next few days.
day 2 - the aromas have integrated beautifully. there is a lovely pine/herbal character that cools the bright red cherry, and still some soil underneath. this is a complex old world nose. great purity and focus, harmonious fruit and acids, firm tannins, great balance - 13% alcohol, which is no different from the Burgs. this is fantastic wine that has at least 5 years of improvement ahead of it in the cellar. best Oregon wine of the vintage so far, for me.
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Oregon Pinot Tasting: Cristom, SI, Siduri, Belle Pente, Autuer etc.. (The Vineyard Lunch Gang): Okay, so this wine had some funk. Some hated it. It did not bother me in the least. This is why I love Pinot. A very nice wine and despite the funk, I thought the fruit was very clean. The finish was short and somewhat boring. But this wine, like the St Innocent, certainly improved and grew on people as the day went on. Tough to say much. This wine was very young. 2 First place votes, 1 Second place vote and 2 Third place votes = 15 Points - #3 Wine Of The Day.
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4/1/2013 - Easter Everywhere Likes this wine:
fantastic, silky, great spicy red fruit, perfect acidity
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3/30/2013 - rojoloco Likes this wine: 91 Points
A little tight at first but opened up a bit. Saved a little for the second day.
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5/18/2012 - uhclem wrote: 90 Points
It still has legs--plenty of fruit, perhaps even a bit overpowering. Softened a bit after opening. No hurry on this.
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7/8/2011 - stevenmiller wrote: 91 Points
Decanted and served with tasting menu @ Castagna. This is the first 2005 Oregon Pinot we've opened in some time. This wine is really coming around. From the moment we put our nose to the glass we knew this was something special. It paired amazingly well with the a number of the dishes on the menu. Pairing with a dish that included lemon balm was particularly memorable. The nose never let down -- even as we were finishing dinner it was still pulling us in. Overall the the flavors are still somewhat primary & fruit dominated. A nicely balanced PN, very food friendly, and simply delicious. I can't wait for this wine to develop further.
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4/17/2011 - uhclem wrote: 89 Points
Pleasant BP. Some fruit has faded, but still has a nice nose and some sweetness. Good value that is drinking well now.
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2/20/2010 - brooklynguy wrote:
cherry and herbal notes, an earthy purity too. i like this wine, and it isn't exorbitantly priced. but it reminds me of something keith levenberg said about california wines that are made by fermenting with indigenous yeasts, and farmed organically, etc. the producers are letting the terroir speak, but sometimes it just doesn't have all that much to say.
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5/28/2008 - hotlawguy wrote: 88 Points
nice, pure and clean flavors of wild strawberries and cherries. nice acidity.
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5/20/2008 - brooklynguy wrote: 91 Points
a mixture of soil and brett upon opening, and the topsoil notes remain on the nose throughout the first evening, but are joined by cherry and cool herbal aromas. the palate is sweet and ripe but balanced nicely with acidity, and great purity. belle pente continues to put out the clean and pure stuff. not giving all that much yet on the palate other than the sweet fruit and cooling herbs, but there is clearly a lot going on under the surface. i have the other half of the bottle corked and in the fridge, so there will be some re-visiting going on over the next few days.
day 2 - the aromas have integrated beautifully. there is a lovely pine/herbal character that cools the bright red cherry, and still some soil underneath. this is a complex old world nose. great purity and focus, harmonious fruit and acids, firm tannins, great balance - 13% alcohol, which is no different from the Burgs. this is fantastic wine that has at least 5 years of improvement ahead of it in the cellar. best Oregon wine of the vintage so far, for me.
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4/4/2008 - jasonh wrote:
Oregon Pinot Tasting: Cristom, SI, Siduri, Belle Pente, Autuer etc.. (The Vineyard Lunch Gang): Okay, so this wine had some funk. Some hated it. It did not bother me in the least. This is why I love Pinot. A very nice wine and despite the funk, I thought the fruit was very clean. The finish was short and somewhat boring. But this wine, like the St Innocent, certainly improved and grew on people as the day went on. Tough to say much. This wine was very young. 2 First place votes, 1 Second place vote and 2 Third place votes = 15 Points - #3 Wine Of The Day.
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