2023 New Years Eve: I had a small pour in front of me for about 45 minutes. The flavor was deeper with earthy ash and the fruit was not very fresh. I was hoping to follow this and see if it improved but I was unable to do so. So my score reflects the 45 minutes it was in front of me, which was still a very nuanced, tertiary and evolved pinot.
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New Years Eve (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium red color with a 6mm transition. PNP, drank a glass over 2 hours. It's been just over a year and a half since checking in on this. Tonight's bottles was very good, but didnt rise to the level as recent bottles. It really seemed to be gaining depth and complexity over 90 minutes, just when it was about gone. Tart raspberry, dried earth, leather, tart dried berries, dried tobacco, graphite, deep and long. This really didn't even start to develop the typical perfum for an hour. 93+ to 94pts.
2023 New Years Eve Celebration! (Kevin's House): Very nice Oregon Pinot that is leaning on the tertiary side of the spectrum, although still showing quite a bit of red fruit. I would have probably liked this even more a few years ago, but still drinking quite nicely today!
Nose shows cherry blossom, bramble and tree bark. Palate is mostly tertiary with some red fruit (cherry and raspberry), but mostly forest floor, bramble and notes of tar and anise, finishing with hints of cedar. I found the wine very enjoyable, but am confident others found it even more enjoyable than I. 94+ and in a good spot for my palate, although I would be drinking up if I owned any!
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Nose: Deep inky/Stargazer lily aromas with perfumy florals. Just spectacular! Palate: Despite frustrations from a broken and stuck cork this last bottle of mine is firing on all cylinders! Still bright acidity, with cherries and some blueberry fruits. Finish is incredibly elegant and lengthy. Could be the best one of these I've had. Great to go out on a high note!
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This bottle is singing with everything I have loved about this wine. Nose: raspberry, dried cherry, leather, and rosewater. Mouth: brighter cherry, a hint of orange/zing that I associate with White Rose fruit, and a bit of cedar and soy. The gained weight all night as we finished the bottle. Just wonderful. Will probably drink my last few bottles over the next 2-3 years. But that's because I prefer some primary fruit be remaining. Others can drink well-stored bottles for longer. (94pts)
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Jan's in town (Kevin and Vicki's house): Drank a small glass over an hour. Ripe earthy funk reminiscent of rotting tomatoes (not a bad thing). The funk blew off after about 30 minutes. On the palate, almost a scorched earth flavor like ash. Dried forest floor. Slight evergreen that is initially quite high-toned and also settled down after 30 minutes. Very nuanced and continued to change over the 1 hour it was in front of me.
Jan's Back in Town (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium red color with a 7mm bricked edge. PNP, drank a glass over an hour. Jan's bottle and another gem of White Rose. Another incredible nose, sanguine, funk, roses, pencil, leather, cherry, berry, dried earth, hints of cranberry, dried herbs. The palate is right there too, medium bodied, raspberry, red currants, a touch of cranberry splendid acidity, ground tobacco, leather, floral, exotic dried spice, plump round tannins, and amazing length. This is so complex and lifted, just heavenly. 96+ to 97pts.
Transparent light- medium ruby red color. PNP, drank several glasses over 3 hours plus. It's been two years since my last bottle of the '07 White Rose. This was the perfect opportunity to open a bottle to share with friends over dinner. As I've mentioned before, it is with some trepidation that I open every bottle, wondering if it may one day not live up to expectations. Well, not today my friends, not today. In what one could only describe as phenomenal and mesmerizing, this was likely the best bottle to date, and that really speaks volumes from me. This has a stunning nose, explosive and expressive, with some of the most complicated spices and perfumes I've experienced. This is the definition of perfumed and lifted; offering a cornucopia of fresh and dried flowers, rose petals, violets, sandalwood, dried spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, fine leather, dried forest floor, and shitake mushroom; and then there's the purity of the red fruits, woven seamlessly through the nose and palate as bright strawberries with streaks of red raspberry reverberate through the nose. The featherweight and elegant palate weaves those same elements so gracefully across what is an impeccably balanced and harmonious palate. Bright and lifted, the red fruits are a complex blend of strawberries and wild red raspberry laced with blood orange, cherry and hints of red currants; with leather, dried forest floor, dried exotic spices, and pretty wood spices that glide into a very long vibrant finish. One of, if not the finest, pinot noirs I've ever had, and I'm not really sure what more a wine can offer than this. And If Mark has made a finer wine, I would sincerely like to know what it is. 97+ to 98pts.
It has been a year since one of RocknRoller or I reviewed this wine, so I cracked a bottle and found this one to be darker and more viscous than previous bottles. A great nose of dried cherries, Asian spices, orange peel and rose petals led to dark cherries, forest floor, and a hint of plums on the palate supported by still vibrant structure. Past bottles seemed to be getting a little thin but this one is surprisingly rich.
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Light medium red color. PNP, split bottle over 2.5hrs. It's been about a year and a half since checking in on our friend. Beautiful deep damp earth, mushroom and truffle, iron, deep red berries and cherry notes abound on the intoxicating nose with subtle dried wood char. The palate is medium bodied with tart red berries, cherry skin, later notes of saddle leather, funk and ground tobacco. Extremely complex, tannins still have some hold. Stunning as expected. 95+ to 96 pts.
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An aging beauty. This bottle was more vibrant than the last two we've had, and was what one envisioned for this wine over the last 10 years. Ethereal on the nose - cherry, rosewater, light Asian spice, and a hint of orange peel. Really vibrant. In the mouth, the fruit is fading though. Not many secondary flavors: just muted cherries and earth that was best at hours 2-4 after opening. The nose remains strong and beautiful. This does not have ten more years, but it's at its aging best right now. I've said it before, but I wish Mark V. was still getting White Rose fruit, because the result is just beautiful.
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Winter is Coming (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium red color with a 4mm bricked margin. PNP, drank a glass plus over 2 hours. It's been well over a year since checking in. This gets increasingly more difficult to live up to expectations, but this was a beautiful bottle again. I always want to just crawl inside my glass and become immersed in the aromas. To that point, tonight my wife was looking at my forehead and said, "what's that mark on your head", then realizing it was the indent from the glass being pushed tight against my noggin. I told her that's the mark of a wine geek J. Well, sort of anyway. The nose is perfumed with dried flowers, cigarbox, cedar box, and lovely red berries that as this opens show bright notes of red raspberry and wild strawberries with more subtle forest floor. The palate is quite elegant, but the word that continues to strike me is harmonious. Everything on the nose translates to the palate with lifted brightness to the fruit and acidity. It's fun to watch this evolve in glass. A little more would have been even better. This was a bottle picked up on WineBid and not from my original stash. 94+ to 95pts.
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Pnp, light ruby, no sed. Nose of vanilla cream, spice,mushrooms and earth. Palate of tart cherries, some spice and earth. Minerality, and some grip too. Paired willow cooked salmon. In a good place tonight.
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An Unintended Birthday Dinner (Margaux's Table, White Bear Lake, MN): Medium red color. PNP, drank 1+ glass over 2 hours plus. I try to only open one of these every 8 or 9 months. And every time I open one, I shiver a bit thinking it won't live up to my expectations. I might get past that someday. This would turn out to be the best of many incredible bottles. Clearly the evolution continues. This simply has a stunning nose, I can't recall anything that has the complicated, lifted spice tones that are here. It dances across the olfactory sense and plays games with your mind. I just get giddy even thinking about it now. The floral spice box mixed with such light and pure red berry and cherry notes on the nose and palate are divine. Featherweight and elegant, this has the forest floor, leather, and brightness on top of a silky texture and continual waves on the finish. Mesmerizingly ethereal for me. 96+ to 97pts.
Outstanding. Drinking very well right now. Paired very well with Laurelhurst Market's Pan-Seared Piedmontese Bavette steak. It was so good we finished the bottle too soon.
This wine is in a very nice place right now, fruit is still there but starting to show secondary notes that add complexity. Nicely paired with fresh CR sockeye.
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Medium dark red color. PNP, drank several glasses over 90 minutes plus. Oh baby, this bottle has it again. Brought this to dinner for Gary's bday - his choice, and it did not disappoint. I've waxed on about this wine many times and you're just going to have to live with it I guess. The nose is just amazing, it takes about two swirls for this get started and then it evolves in the glass to where you won;t even consider repouring until you are ready to start the evolution again. The mix of complex dried spices here is splendid, cinnamon, cardamon, mulled spices, sage, dried roses, dried earth, very very subtle funk, lacy red fruits, more cherry tonight. The palate resonates with all those flavors and even more, leather, elegant, medium bodied, lacy and delicate with classic purity. In a great spot. A bottle I just happened across that was as pristine as the others have been. This along with the '05 Thomas we had the other night are so in my wheelhouse. Great wines that line up so nicely with Burgundy. 95+pts.
Still Beautiful, but slightly more muted. Drank over 6 hours. On opening, its floral aromas were slightly more muted than past bottles, but it has added a some orange peel. Its finish was a little short too. 2-3 hours later, it added a whiff of oak that disappeared later. As the night went along, the rose and violet aromas emerged more strongly. A little mushroom too that I did not get in past bottles. Starting to detect secondary flavors such as nutmeg.
Overall, this seems to have reached a very nice plateau. Don't know if it improves from here. My uneducated guess is that it lacks the stuffing to go past 2020-2022, but will drink a bottle annually and report back until then.
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Oregon vs. Burgundy Single Blind (Tilia, Mpls): Medium red color with mild bricking. PNP, drank 1 glass blind over 90 minutes. This was singing for me again. Great nose, wonderful floral perfume, leather, red fruits, elegant. The palate is fresh, lively, great acid, just gorgeous, earthy, medium body, dried spices, long and integrated. this was my WOTN and part two of the best flight. No doubt in my mind this was the White rose.
Slow ox and notes after extended glass air. Nose: Some of the rhubarb and other aromas in the last bottle are present, but this bottle is not the rock star the past bottles have been. Palate: Still good acid levels with red fruits but fairly singular. Not sure if this wine is getting past prime or if it's just bottle variance. This one is 91 points which is a good score but given I average about 94 points on this wine this is a bit off.
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Medium red color with mild bricking on the margin. PNP, drank several glasses over 3 hours. Another incredible bottle. This easily got better over the first 90 minutes. Starting off with some funk, damp earth and lots of mushroom character on the nose and palate, this developed the characteristic perfume of dried flowers, dried spices, leather, sandalwood, and red berry fruits. The palate while seemingless almost weightless takes on weight and depth over the first hour and truly resonates. Tart red fruits, raspberry, dried strawberry, forest floor, mushroom, leather, and complex spices all conspire to confound and exhilarate the mind and palate. Delicious and delightfully complex.
Nose: Very complex aromas of raspberries, cherries, rhubarb, with hints of butter, forest floor, perfumy florals and cassis. Just amazing! Palate: Even with age the acids and tannins are still youthful with flavors of cranberries (most notable), cherries, raspberries and a super clean medium length finish. Last bottle I had was on 3/7/10 and this still rocks. Amazing effort and continues to impress.
Last Minute Get Together (Kevin and Vicki's): Medium dark red color. PNP, drank 2 glasses over 90 minutes. I'll save you the details and just refer you to my note from 8/14/14. This bottle was a complete pleasure and my notes are a carbon copy from this date. WOTN.
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Dark red color. PNP, split the bottle over 3+ hrs. WOW! This might have been the best bottle to date. Absolutely stunning and certainly one of the finest pinot noirs that I've had the pleasure of drinking. This is a complete wine. Gorgeous and Burgundian in style, though I would also venture to say it is quintessential Oregon in style which would be every bit as apt and complimentary a description. This wine is seamless, elegant and simply exquisite. The nose is beautifully complex offering a constantly evolving array of aromas starting with a splendid perfume of bright flowers, dry forest floor, red fruits, raspberry, strawberry, black cherry, cinnamon, and the most pleasant blend of spices. The palate is medium bodied, layered and silky in texture,with a wonderful blend of earthiness, mineral, and pristine fruit; raspberry, black cherry, mushroom, and spice. The wine is fully integrated with velvet tannins and a very long 60+ second finish. I could wax on and on. This is about as good as it gets. It will be fun to see just how long this goes. 95+ to 96pts.
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Red berry aromas and flavors starting to mature, with some anise and black pepper. This has put on weight and depth since when last tasted shortly after release.
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Sadly, my last bottle. Every bottle of this has simply been terrific. Very, very burgundian with a complex nose of dark fruits, damp earth, mushroom and oak. Fills the palate with deep, concentrated flavors that match the nose. Medium+ body with a sensual, slightly creamy, hedonistic mouth-feel and a long, satisfying finish. One of my all-time favorite bottles of pinot noir.
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WOW! - What a great Burgundian nose. Dark fruits, funkiness, damp earth, leather, oak and plum. Lean, medium-weight body with a silky texture, good balance and nice grip. Great depth and intensity of flavors and finish that mirrors the nose. This is about as burgundian as it gets - elegant, complex, balanced, excellent grip and lots of energy. Another terrific St. Innocent and another great '07 pinot noir from Oregon.
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Nicely balanced and ready to drink. Great fruit dominates, but secondary flavors show through including nice vanilla and just a hint of cassis. Certainly the best St Innocent I've had the luck of consuming. PDQ92+
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Mixed Wines Offline (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium dark red color, a bit cloudy. PNP, with aeration in glasses. Drank 1 glass over 1.5hrs. This was lovely as usual showing the typical damp earth, floral, cherry, strawberry nose. The palate was elegant, earthy, velvety, with cherry and berry fruit, deeply layered and long on the finish. 93+ pts tonight. My and group #2 WOTN.
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Monthly Tasting Group: Blind Pinots Worldwide (Cafe Lurcat, Mpls, MN): Dark red color. PNP, drank one glass blind over 1.5hrs. This has a really nice nose, earth, funk, minerals, iron, berries and cherries. But it wasn't until this was in the glass for at least 30 minutes (and long after it had been revealed) that is really developed the telltale floral perfume that i have come to know this wine by. For many it was long gone by then. Very, very elegant on the palate, there is some power and energy to be sure, but this is really about a deftly made, silky textured beauty. Easy to mistake for Burgundy, which I managed to do when flipping my coin and not choosing Oregon. In my pathetic defense, had we waited another 20 minutes to guess, I'd have trusted my gut...hopefully. This was still getting better through the 90 minutes i managed to hold it.
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Tasted blind with 11 other PNs and this was the most fully realized and ready to impart pleasure last night. Like a couple previous btl this wine has depth you associate with more expensive $75 plus Burgs. Wish like hell I had bought some more of these than one I've already consumed! 07 was a nice sleeper vintage in Oregon from the right source. Great value here. Very lacy, elegant and ethereal.
A very nice Oregon PN but not the stunner I remembered tasting recently. I was mostly distracted with guest so probably not a fair assesment.I don't feel compelled to buy more.
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Pop and pour. Tart acidity, high toned red fruit, really nice nose. Impressed the skeptical wife, always a tough thing. Not clear how much upside to aging and the fruit seems to be starting to thin a bit from my last bottle.
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Did not take notes, but this was a beautiful wine. I could not believe how much the nose reminded me of an older burgundy - dark fruits, minerals, a lot of damp earth and some funk. Medium bodied with a slightly lean, but very smooth texture and great balance. Intense, complex flavors in a burgundy-like package (Gevrey - Chambertin). This drinks WAY above its price point and vintage. 94+
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Got a small shared pour from Lonny or Luis, I think, last night. Glad I did, this is such a pretty PN! Ethereal Chambolle like lace elegance and grand cru length. Must be one of the best 07s made in Oregon. Certainly the best I've had. This would give many top notch Burgs a real run for thier money. My WOTN from last night's annual wine group picnic.
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Annual Wine Group Summer Event - Loads of Wine (Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Dark red color. Pop & pour, drank 1 glass over 30 minutes. I just can't say enough good things about this wine. I just smile every time I have it. This is so elegant and enjoyable to drink. I think Craig called it "pretty", and that would certainly be apt. The nose is perfumed and full of earth and lovely fruit and floral notes. The palate is consistently layered and complex with dark cherry and dark berry fruits enveloped by a silky structure that just goes on and on. My WOTN. 94+pts. (1500)
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It took a while to come around. Initially the acid overpowered everything; but after a few hours of air this rocked. I'll hold off for another year or so before I open another
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The wine looks Ruby colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like and Mineral. It tastes like and Mineral. The body is Medium. The wine has Smooth texture. The wine finishes Medium.
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Lovely nose of red and dark fruits, earth, spice and dried, slightly decaying leaves in the fall. Impeccable balance with a medium body and a terrific, silky, slightly lean mouthfeel. Long finish with just a touch of sourness at the end. Deep, complex flavors. Very Oregonian in style and completely delicious. 92-93
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Perfumed bouquet of dark berries, earth , forest floor, smoke, game. Tastes of dark berries, sour cherries, earth, oak. Integrated tannins, structured. Silky, smooth. Drinking great right now. Medium finish. The main difference between this bottle and our prior bottle in 2011 is that the flavors were fuller, deeper six months ago. Otherwise, a really nice wine and still in the 90's. (Doris: 90. Loved this wine. Big bouquet of earth, and cherries. Flavors of cherries, earth. Smooth and elegant)
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BYOB Tasting Menu Meritage (Meritage, St. Paul): Dark red color. I believe this got about 30 minutes top on the decant. Drank 1+ glass over 30 minutes. It was gorgeous as usual. I love the mix damp and dry earth, perfumed, black raspberry and black cherry fruit, mushroom. The palate is ever so elegant, and very, very, long. Just another spectacular bottle. And what great pairing with the lacquered duck. Thank you Mark Vlossak! 94+pts.
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Opened up for a couple of hours before serving, but still tasted quite young. Loads of cherry fruit on the nose but a really nice complexity on the palate. Some earthiness and fine tannins on the finish. Really enjoyed this, and wish I had some more.
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This is a wine to age. Day 3 review and it is much better. Saddlewood, strawberry, floral, spice and minerals. Very balanced wine and medium finish. Should keep improving with age and as always a favorite Oregon wine.
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No notes, but it was really terrific. Lots of dark, ripe berry fruit along with a big dose of earth and some spice. It paints a broad swath across the palate with a lot of complexity. Medium body with perfect balance and a smooth texture. Long finish. This has pretty much everything I enjoy most in a pinot and nothing that I don't like. A joy to drink.
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As transporting a bouquet of forest floor, leather, raspberry as any other white rose. Light to medium bodied, and that long, 2 minute finish almost like truffles is there.
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Took about three hours in the decanter to really open up, but when it did it was very nice both with food and on its own. Developing nose of red berry, palate of berries, spice notes and some earth. Very full palate and a long and clean finish.
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Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (Levain, Mpls): Brought this bottle to the event as a "just in case we need it" bottle. And, we needed it to replace a corked Burg. This was a popped and vinturied into glasses wine. And wow, it was good, the best bottle i have had since early 2010. Consistent with previous notes. My #2 WOTN.
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Not sure what happened but this bottle was not up to par. Not corked but very tannic and way too earthy and oaky. Still have one bottle remaining. Hopefully that will be up to the expected standards.
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Though I'm sick and my nose is clogged today, I can tell that this wine is fantastic. Great aromatics of red fruits that comes across well balanced on the palate. The cloying sweetness I remember from my last bottle is not present at all today.
Will not rate due to my cold, but it seems to be a solid 91+.
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The Itty Bitty CellarTracker Party (Judith's House): Dark red color. 1.5hr decant, drank over 2 hours. This bottle was consistent with previous notes. Nose is effusive with layers of complexity, florals, earth, dark red fruit followed by that ultra velvety mouth coating sensation on the palate. Long finish. Sheer joy. WOTN.
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Wow. Forward aromas of big red fruits jump out of the glass as a bouquet of cherries, flowers and earth. This wine is seductive, rich and full of flavors. It stops just short of being too big, and sweet. But it works, and well! Flavors of bright cherries, flowers, earth and spices. Decanted 2 hours. Tannins softened and well integrated. Long lingering finish leaves flavors of fruits and earth. (Doris 92. Bouquet and flavors of cherries. This wine is ready now. Liquid Gold and Seductive.)
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Wordwide Pinots Blind plus a few more (Levain (Mpls)): Medium dark red color. Beautiful nose of earth, mushrooms, spices, flowers, black cherry, black raspberry. The palate is elegant with with great balance and a long finish. Most thought this was a Burgundy, and that certainly nails it stylistically. This was my clear favorite of the night.
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Not as good as six months to a year ago. Dust, raspberry, spice and floral notes on the nose. The palate is a bit chalky with spice, raspberries and wafer. Medium finish but not as balanced as previous bottles. I hope this is a dumb phase and we will see.
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Minneapolis Wine Club Does Domestic Pinots for the Masters (Becky's House): Dark red color. Nose took about 15 minutes to open despite aerating. The nose as always is wonderful: beautiful perfumed florals, red fruits, cranberry, earth notes, mushrooms, and spices. The palate is lush in the mouth and concentrated with great depth. Always a treat. 93-94pts. Group number 2, edged out by the 2003 Springhill by one vote!
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Followed 99 Eyrie Reserve. Unfair to score given the palate impression of the preceding wine...but very well made. Earthy, loamy note a little heavy...hopefully will integrate and balance in time. Will give 2 years before popping another.
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Ruby with a purple tint. Exotic floral, rose petal and earthy spice aromas explode out of the glass! Flavors of strawberry, raspberry and flowers with earthy minerals and spices. Velvety smooth with firm but mellow tannins and a long finish. A truly eloquent wine that has many years in front of it to evolve into the future.
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Very nice showing at a tasting tonight. One of the top wines poured. Still young and could benefit from some more bottle age but at 2 hours open it was pretty fantastic. Well balanced. Nice food wine.
Would buy again.
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Drunk side by side with a 2008 Jadot GC CSJ and it came in second but held its own. Fruit driven, not a lot of grip, do not think this is headed for a long life but is fine drinking now.
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This was served with Thanksgiving dinner, number two for the day. While very good, this bottle did not show as well as previous bottles. I don't know if it was the amount and variety of food consumed that day or the general bloating, but it didn't shine like the past. probably 91 today, but I will withhold an official score.
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Dark berry aromas and flavors with some pronounced earthiness and a lot of spice. Velvety textures, but also a dose of acidity. Surprisingly ripe and rich for this vintage - I actually prefer a leaner style, but this is full of flavors and very tasty.
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St. Innocent Tasting: My current wine of the year and another great showing. Far superior to the 08 at this stage. Strawberry, floral, white pepper, wood and spice. Balanced and the tannins are not hard like the 08. Great bottle of wine.
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This wine is in a pretty good place right now. Slutty vineyard plus an austere vintage equals a slightly more restrained White Rose experience. Don't feel you need to hold off on opening these. They are quite accessible and open for business today.
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Young, spicy, smokey, and earth driven with hints of dark cherries, mushrooms and faint notes of cranberry, flowers, and cocoa. grippy, firm palate with a persistently earthy finish that lasts.
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Hello! Paired with the tasting menu at Heartland and just paid the $20 corkage. Cedar, truffles, spice, strawberries just jumping out of the glass. Concentrated palate and medium finish. Even with pour stemware the wine was a rock star and a front runner for my wine of the year.
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This is a decent entry for a White Rose. It has a lot of the force of that vineyard--heady nose and front palate concentration, although I think the 2007 vintage restrains the exuberance a bit. Might be missing something in the mid-palate. This is drinking pretty well now, but I might hold one bottle back to see how it ages.
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While most 2007 Oregon Pinots are light and somewhat watery, this was thick, concentrated and candied (no, candied isn't necessarily good). Very powerful sweet flavor, almost like I'm licking a candied cherry. And I mean my-mouth-feels-like-I've-been-eating-Swedish-Fish-all-day sweet. The smell is wonderful, but also dominated by sweet red fruits, with some floral overtones. Though there is acidity, this wine is not particularly well-balanced, but very tasty as I polished off through this bottle in about an hour.
Need a half hour of decanting before drinking, otherwise the sweet flavor is overwhelming.
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Bright red berry with subtle spice. Lighter style overall with good balance, good textures. Best to cellar 3-5+ years and see what happens. 87 points today, but I think it has 88-90 point potential.
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A nice wine with cherry, floral, pepper, and spice featuring intense aromas. This wine should blossom into something even better down the road as it has the components.
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This wine was in its glory tonight. This was the fifth bottle I have had now and it has never been less than 94. This wine really has it all: finesse, elegance, balance, a complex nose and palate with a long, lingering finish. The '07 White Rose is a shining star. What a phenomenal wine. This wine has one of the most gorgeous pinot noses ever. Beautiful perfumed red fruit, with pleasant spice notes that don't overwhelm and an earthiness that evokes a great Burgundy. The wine has an exquisite balance with well intergrated tannins, excellent acidity, and a velvety mouth feel. The finish goes on and on. 95 points. Vlossak continues to produce killer wines across the portfolio. Clearly with each vintage we are seeing his maturity as a winemaker.
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St. Innocent Mini Tasting (Edina Country Club, MN): Nose: Bright red fruits, amazingly floral with very pronounced loamy red clay aromas. Pure Dundee Hills AVA. Awesome nose! Palate: Almost perfume-like flavors with the high toned red fruits showing and the loamy qualities in full force. Great acid profile and a very elegant finish. This wine just kept going all night long and really showcases Mark Vlossak's winemaking talents. Wonderful wine and hands down my WOTN.
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Minneapolis Does St. Innocent (Edina Country Club): Medium purple. Nose of funk, floral, cranberry, and clay. On the palate this rocks with spice, cherry, white pepper, and roses. Good acidity and concentrated wine. Really balanced and for an 07 maybe the wine of the Vintage for Willamette.
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Drank this bottle with another pinot lover. She had never experienced St. Innocent. What a treat for her! Well, for all of us! This is a fantastic wine. Aromatic nose that is floral and perfumed, but with nice earth notes and generous red fruit. Full bodied Pinot, a gorgeous color. There is so much going on in this complex wine. The palate evolves as well with spice box, black cherry, pepper, and great acidity. Wonderfull long finish. A truly elegant wine.
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Tried the White Rose Vineyard version last week, wanted to try this. A better wine in several dimensions - floral nose, earth tones bur not overwhelming, v good finish. Compare well with Domaine d'larlot
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Two hours of air. Great fruit, nice nose, good length. Very forward for this winery for a young wine, a lot of depth of sweet berry fruit, good grip, easily could improve with age.
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A friend of mine reminded me of this night that changed the impressions of the 2007 vintage of Oregon Pinot Noir at the Wine Company in St. Paul, MN. As one of the first pro reviewers in the world to call how great these wines were I will take a lot of the credit. Just found my notes on this night and can't believe I did not post them moons ago. The 2007 White Rose is an amazing wine featuring rose petals, forest floor, cherry, mild spices and red berry fruits. Long finish and elegant. Just a wonderful wine!
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OR Pinot Event (Land Stewardship Project) (St. Paul, MN): Nose: Big and spicy with some earthy hints. Palate: The spice comes through loud and clear on this one. So elegant with an amazingly clean finish. Tied for #2 WOTN with the 2007 Seven Springs vineyard.
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Tasting in the Eola Amity AVA (Willamette Valley): Light nose, distinctive oak spice and cherry. Really nice, pure fruit on the mid-palate, with just a slight hint of greenness. Good fruit on the finish, tastes a bit like a berry otter pop, but is overall light in flavor.
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1/1/2024 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
2023 New Years Eve: I had a small pour in front of me for about 45 minutes. The flavor was deeper with earthy ash and the fruit was not very fresh. I was hoping to follow this and see if it improved but I was unable to do so. So my score reflects the 45 minutes it was in front of me, which was still a very nuanced, tertiary and evolved pinot.
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12/31/2023 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
New Years Eve (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium red color with a 6mm transition. PNP, drank a glass over 2 hours. It's been just over a year and a half since checking in on this. Tonight's bottles was very good, but didnt rise to the level as recent bottles. It really seemed to be gaining depth and complexity over 90 minutes, just when it was about gone. Tart raspberry, dried earth, leather, tart dried berries, dried tobacco, graphite, deep and long. This really didn't even start to develop the typical perfum for an hour. 93+ to 94pts.
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12/31/2023 - MN Wine Junkie Likes this wine: 94 Points
2023 New Years Eve Celebration! (Kevin's House): Very nice Oregon Pinot that is leaning on the tertiary side of the spectrum, although still showing quite a bit of red fruit. I would have probably liked this even more a few years ago, but still drinking quite nicely today!
Nose shows cherry blossom, bramble and tree bark. Palate is mostly tertiary with some red fruit (cherry and raspberry), but mostly forest floor, bramble and notes of tar and anise, finishing with hints of cedar. I found the wine very enjoyable, but am confident others found it even more enjoyable than I. 94+ and in a good spot for my palate, although I would be drinking up if I owned any!
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9/2/2023 - Mattshank wrote: 95 Points
Nose: Deep inky/Stargazer lily aromas with perfumy florals. Just spectacular! Palate: Despite frustrations from a broken and stuck cork this last bottle of mine is firing on all cylinders! Still bright acidity, with cherries and some blueberry fruits. Finish is incredibly elegant and lengthy. Could be the best one of these I've had. Great to go out on a high note!
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3/19/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Mature red cherry and berry, good weight, good spice with plenty of earth. This was slightly better when young, but certainly still good now.
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11/25/2022 - rmcbrayer wrote: 94 Points
This bottle is singing with everything I have loved about this wine. Nose: raspberry, dried cherry, leather, and rosewater. Mouth: brighter cherry, a hint of orange/zing that I associate with White Rose fruit, and a bit of cedar and soy. The gained weight all night as we finished the bottle. Just wonderful. Will probably drink my last few bottles over the next 2-3 years. But that's because I prefer some primary fruit be remaining. Others can drink well-stored bottles for longer. (94pts)
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5/22/2022 - galewskj wrote: 95 Points
Jan's in town (Kevin and Vicki's house): Drank a small glass over an hour. Ripe earthy funk reminiscent of rotting tomatoes (not a bad thing). The funk blew off after about 30 minutes. On the palate, almost a scorched earth flavor like ash. Dried forest floor. Slight evergreen that is initially quite high-toned and also settled down after 30 minutes. Very nuanced and continued to change over the 1 hour it was in front of me.
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5/21/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
Jan's Back in Town (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium red color with a 7mm bricked edge. PNP, drank a glass over an hour. Jan's bottle and another gem of White Rose. Another incredible nose, sanguine, funk, roses, pencil, leather, cherry, berry, dried earth, hints of cranberry, dried herbs. The palate is right there too, medium bodied, raspberry, red currants, a touch of cranberry splendid acidity, ground tobacco, leather, floral, exotic dried spice, plump round tannins, and amazing length. This is so complex and lifted, just heavenly. 96+ to 97pts.
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9/2/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 98 Points
Transparent light- medium ruby red color. PNP, drank several glasses over 3 hours plus. It's been two years since my last bottle of the '07 White Rose. This was the perfect opportunity to open a bottle to share with friends over dinner. As I've mentioned before, it is with some trepidation that I open every bottle, wondering if it may one day not live up to expectations. Well, not today my friends, not today. In what one could only describe as phenomenal and mesmerizing, this was likely the best bottle to date, and that really speaks volumes from me. This has a stunning nose, explosive and expressive, with some of the most complicated spices and perfumes I've experienced. This is the definition of perfumed and lifted; offering a cornucopia of fresh and dried flowers, rose petals, violets, sandalwood, dried spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, fine leather, dried forest floor, and shitake mushroom; and then there's the purity of the red fruits, woven seamlessly through the nose and palate as bright strawberries with streaks of red raspberry reverberate through the nose. The featherweight and elegant palate weaves those same elements so gracefully across what is an impeccably balanced and harmonious palate. Bright and lifted, the red fruits are a complex blend of strawberries and wild red raspberry laced with blood orange, cherry and hints of red currants; with leather, dried forest floor, dried exotic spices, and pretty wood spices that glide into a very long vibrant finish. One of, if not the finest, pinot noirs I've ever had, and I'm not really sure what more a wine can offer than this. And If Mark has made a finer wine, I would sincerely like to know what it is. 97+ to 98pts.
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11/17/2020 - rmcbrayer wrote: 93 Points
It has been a year since one of RocknRoller or I reviewed this wine, so I cracked a bottle and found this one to be darker and more viscous than previous bottles. A great nose of dried cherries, Asian spices, orange peel and rose petals led to dark cherries, forest floor, and a hint of plums on the palate supported by still vibrant structure. Past bottles seemed to be getting a little thin but this one is surprisingly rich.
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9/28/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Light medium red color. PNP, split bottle over 2.5hrs. It's been about a year and a half since checking in on our friend. Beautiful deep damp earth, mushroom and truffle, iron, deep red berries and cherry notes abound on the intoxicating nose with subtle dried wood char. The palate is medium bodied with tart red berries, cherry skin, later notes of saddle leather, funk and ground tobacco. Extremely complex, tannins still have some hold. Stunning as expected. 95+ to 96 pts.
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7/7/2019 - subir Likes this wine: 98 Points
Last bottle, it’s near perfect. What a shame Vlossack doesn’t get this fruit anymore.
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2/3/2019 - rmcbrayer wrote: 94 Points
An aging beauty. This bottle was more vibrant than the last two we've had, and was what one envisioned for this wine over the last 10 years. Ethereal on the nose - cherry, rosewater, light Asian spice, and a hint of orange peel. Really vibrant. In the mouth, the fruit is fading though. Not many secondary flavors: just muted cherries and earth that was best at hours 2-4 after opening. The nose remains strong and beautiful. This does not have ten more years, but it's at its aging best right now. I've said it before, but I wish Mark V. was still getting White Rose fruit, because the result is just beautiful.
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11/24/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Winter is Coming (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium red color with a 4mm bricked margin. PNP, drank a glass plus over 2 hours. It's been well over a year since checking in. This gets increasingly more difficult to live up to expectations, but this was a beautiful bottle again. I always want to just crawl inside my glass and become immersed in the aromas. To that point, tonight my wife was looking at my forehead and said, "what's that mark on your head", then realizing it was the indent from the glass being pushed tight against my noggin. I told her that's the mark of a wine geek J. Well, sort of anyway. The nose is perfumed with dried flowers, cigarbox, cedar box, and lovely red berries that as this opens show bright notes of red raspberry and wild strawberries with more subtle forest floor. The palate is quite elegant, but the word that continues to strike me is harmonious. Everything on the nose translates to the palate with lifted brightness to the fruit and acidity. It's fun to watch this evolve in glass. A little more would have been even better. This was a bottle picked up on WineBid and not from my original stash. 94+ to 95pts.
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4/6/2018 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pnp, light ruby, no sed. Nose of vanilla cream, spice,mushrooms and earth. Palate of tart cherries, some spice and earth. Minerality, and some grip too. Paired willow cooked salmon. In a good place tonight.
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8/12/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 97 Points
An Unintended Birthday Dinner (Margaux's Table, White Bear Lake, MN): Medium red color. PNP, drank 1+ glass over 2 hours plus. I try to only open one of these every 8 or 9 months. And every time I open one, I shiver a bit thinking it won't live up to my expectations. I might get past that someday. This would turn out to be the best of many incredible bottles. Clearly the evolution continues. This simply has a stunning nose, I can't recall anything that has the complicated, lifted spice tones that are here. It dances across the olfactory sense and plays games with your mind. I just get giddy even thinking about it now. The floral spice box mixed with such light and pure red berry and cherry notes on the nose and palate are divine. Featherweight and elegant, this has the forest floor, leather, and brightness on top of a silky texture and continual waves on the finish. Mesmerizingly ethereal for me. 96+ to 97pts.
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6/15/2017 - 1999 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Outstanding. Drinking very well right now. Paired very well with Laurelhurst Market's Pan-Seared Piedmontese Bavette steak. It was so good we finished the bottle too soon.
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6/12/2017 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
This wine is in a very nice place right now, fruit is still there but starting to show secondary notes that add complexity. Nicely paired with fresh CR sockeye.
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12/14/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Medium dark red color. PNP, drank several glasses over 90 minutes plus. Oh baby, this bottle has it again. Brought this to dinner for Gary's bday - his choice, and it did not disappoint. I've waxed on about this wine many times and you're just going to have to live with it I guess. The nose is just amazing, it takes about two swirls for this get started and then it evolves in the glass to where you won;t even consider repouring until you are ready to start the evolution again. The mix of complex dried spices here is splendid, cinnamon, cardamon, mulled spices, sage, dried roses, dried earth, very very subtle funk, lacy red fruits, more cherry tonight. The palate resonates with all those flavors and even more, leather, elegant, medium bodied, lacy and delicate with classic purity. In a great spot. A bottle I just happened across that was as pristine as the others have been. This along with the '05 Thomas we had the other night are so in my wheelhouse. Great wines that line up so nicely with Burgundy. 95+pts.
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11/13/2016 - rmcbrayer wrote: 93 Points
Still Beautiful, but slightly more muted. Drank over 6 hours. On opening, its floral aromas were slightly more muted than past bottles, but it has added a some orange peel. Its finish was a little short too. 2-3 hours later, it added a whiff of oak that disappeared later. As the night went along, the rose and violet aromas emerged more strongly. A little mushroom too that I did not get in past bottles. Starting to detect secondary flavors such as nutmeg.
Overall, this seems to have reached a very nice plateau. Don't know if it improves from here. My uneducated guess is that it lacks the stuffing to go past 2020-2022, but will drink a bottle annually and report back until then.
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10/25/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Red berry and cherry on nose and palate. Earth hints and licorice. Everything in very good balance. Moderate+ weight. Moderate length. Very good now.
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7/26/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Oregon vs. Burgundy Single Blind (Tilia, Mpls): Medium red color with mild bricking. PNP, drank 1 glass blind over 90 minutes. This was singing for me again. Great nose, wonderful floral perfume, leather, red fruits, elegant. The palate is fresh, lively, great acid, just gorgeous, earthy, medium body, dried spices, long and integrated. this was my WOTN and part two of the best flight. No doubt in my mind this was the White rose.
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7/1/2016 - Mattshank wrote: 91 Points
Slow ox and notes after extended glass air. Nose: Some of the rhubarb and other aromas in the last bottle are present, but this bottle is not the rock star the past bottles have been. Palate: Still good acid levels with red fruits but fairly singular. Not sure if this wine is getting past prime or if it's just bottle variance. This one is 91 points which is a good score but given I average about 94 points on this wine this is a bit off.
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10/3/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Medium red color with mild bricking on the margin. PNP, drank several glasses over 3 hours. Another incredible bottle. This easily got better over the first 90 minutes. Starting off with some funk, damp earth and lots of mushroom character on the nose and palate, this developed the characteristic perfume of dried flowers, dried spices, leather, sandalwood, and red berry fruits. The palate while seemingless almost weightless takes on weight and depth over the first hour and truly resonates. Tart red fruits, raspberry, dried strawberry, forest floor, mushroom, leather, and complex spices all conspire to confound and exhilarate the mind and palate. Delicious and delightfully complex.
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8/3/2015 - Mattshank wrote: 94 Points
Nose: Very complex aromas of raspberries, cherries, rhubarb, with hints of butter, forest floor, perfumy florals and cassis. Just amazing! Palate: Even with age the acids and tannins are still youthful with flavors of cranberries (most notable), cherries, raspberries and a super clean medium length finish. Last bottle I had was on 3/7/10 and this still rocks. Amazing effort and continues to impress.
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1/10/2015 - jaybird7 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank with Kevin, Vicki and Gary on 1/10/15. This was an excellent Oregon Pinot with elegance, balance and plenty of fruit.
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1/10/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Last Minute Get Together (Kevin and Vicki's): Medium dark red color. PNP, drank 2 glasses over 90 minutes. I'll save you the details and just refer you to my note from 8/14/14. This bottle was a complete pleasure and my notes are a carbon copy from this date. WOTN.
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8/14/2014 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Dark red color. PNP, split the bottle over 3+ hrs. WOW! This might have been the best bottle to date. Absolutely stunning and certainly one of the finest pinot noirs that I've had the pleasure of drinking. This is a complete wine. Gorgeous and Burgundian in style, though I would also venture to say it is quintessential Oregon in style which would be every bit as apt and complimentary a description. This wine is seamless, elegant and simply exquisite. The nose is beautifully complex offering a constantly evolving array of aromas starting with a splendid perfume of bright flowers, dry forest floor, red fruits, raspberry, strawberry, black cherry, cinnamon, and the most pleasant blend of spices. The palate is medium bodied, layered and silky in texture,with a wonderful blend of earthiness, mineral, and pristine fruit; raspberry, black cherry, mushroom, and spice. The wine is fully integrated with velvet tannins and a very long 60+ second finish. I could wax on and on. This is about as good as it gets. It will be fun to see just how long this goes. 95+ to 96pts.
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4/5/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Red berry aromas and flavors starting to mature, with some anise and black pepper. This has put on weight and depth since when last tasted shortly after release.
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3/29/2014 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
Some browning on the edge. Earthy. Good balance of acid, fruit and tannins. A nice 07.
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1/31/2014 - rickspicks wrote: 95 Points
Sadly, my last bottle. Every bottle of this has simply been terrific. Very, very burgundian with a complex nose of dark fruits, damp earth, mushroom and oak. Fills the palate with deep, concentrated flavors that match the nose. Medium+ body with a sensual, slightly creamy, hedonistic mouth-feel and a long, satisfying finish. One of my all-time favorite bottles of pinot noir.
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10/19/2013 - rickspicks wrote: 93 Points
WOW! - What a great Burgundian nose. Dark fruits, funkiness, damp earth, leather, oak and plum. Lean, medium-weight body with a silky texture, good balance and nice grip. Great depth and intensity of flavors and finish that mirrors the nose. This is about as burgundian as it gets - elegant, complex, balanced, excellent grip and lots of energy. Another terrific St. Innocent and another great '07 pinot noir from Oregon.
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10/4/2013 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Nicely balanced and ready to drink. Great fruit dominates, but secondary flavors show through including nice vanilla and just a hint of cassis. Certainly the best St Innocent I've had the luck of consuming.
PDQ92+
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8/31/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Mixed Wines Offline (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium dark red color, a bit cloudy. PNP, with aeration in glasses. Drank 1 glass over 1.5hrs. This was lovely as usual showing the typical damp earth, floral, cherry, strawberry nose. The palate was elegant, earthy, velvety, with cherry and berry fruit, deeply layered and long on the finish. 93+ pts tonight. My and group #2 WOTN.
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5/19/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Blind Pinots Worldwide (Cafe Lurcat, Mpls, MN): Dark red color. PNP, drank one glass blind over 1.5hrs. This has a really nice nose, earth, funk, minerals, iron, berries and cherries. But it wasn't until this was in the glass for at least 30 minutes (and long after it had been revealed) that is really developed the telltale floral perfume that i have come to know this wine by. For many it was long gone by then. Very, very elegant on the palate, there is some power and energy to be sure, but this is really about a deftly made, silky textured beauty. Easy to mistake for Burgundy, which I managed to do when flipping my coin and not choosing Oregon. In my pathetic defense, had we waited another 20 minutes to guess, I'd have trusted my gut...hopefully. This was still getting better through the 90 minutes i managed to hold it.
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5/19/2013 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
Tasted blind with 11 other PNs and this was the most fully realized and ready to impart pleasure last night. Like a couple previous btl this wine has depth you associate with more expensive $75 plus Burgs. Wish like hell I had bought some more of these than one I've already consumed! 07 was a nice sleeper vintage in Oregon from the right source. Great value here. Very lacy, elegant and ethereal.
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10/6/2012 - chablis28 wrote: 91 Points
A very nice Oregon PN but not the stunner I remembered tasting recently. I was mostly distracted with guest so probably not a fair assesment.I don't feel compelled to buy more.
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9/22/2012 - Rechrom wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour. Tart acidity, high toned red fruit, really nice nose. Impressed the skeptical wife, always a tough thing. Not clear how much upside to aging and the fruit seems to be starting to thin a bit from my last bottle.
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9/1/2012 - rickspicks wrote: 94 Points
Did not take notes, but this was a beautiful wine. I could not believe how much the nose reminded me of an older burgundy - dark fruits, minerals, a lot of damp earth and some funk. Medium bodied with a slightly lean, but very smooth texture and great balance. Intense, complex flavors in a burgundy-like package (Gevrey - Chambertin). This drinks WAY above its price point and vintage. 94+
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8/26/2012 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
Got a small shared pour from Lonny or Luis, I think, last night. Glad I did, this is such a pretty PN! Ethereal Chambolle like lace elegance and grand cru length. Must be one of the best 07s made in Oregon. Certainly the best I've had. This would give many top notch Burgs a real run for thier money. My WOTN from last night's annual wine group picnic.
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8/25/2012 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Annual Wine Group Summer Event - Loads of Wine (Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Dark red color. Pop & pour, drank 1 glass over 30 minutes. I just can't say enough good things about this wine. I just smile every time I have it. This is so elegant and enjoyable to drink. I think Craig called it "pretty", and that would certainly be apt. The nose is perfumed and full of earth and lovely fruit and floral notes. The palate is consistently layered and complex with dark cherry and dark berry fruits enveloped by a silky structure that just goes on and on. My WOTN. 94+pts. (1500)
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7/29/2012 - Laughs and Juice wrote: 92 Points
It took a while to come around. Initially the acid overpowered everything; but after a few hours of air this rocked. I'll hold off for another year or so before I open another
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7/29/2012 - arthrovine wrote: 90 Points
Why not, it's a Saturday night in The Hood; 7/27/2012-7/29/2012 (Hood River, Oregon): This bottle may have had a bit of a VA problem. While it improved dramatically, with air, it did not have the same great balance as I've enjoyed previously. Still excellent, but not quite up to par with previous experiences.
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5/28/2012 - RoryMcI wrote: 92 Points
The wine looks Ruby colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like and Mineral. It tastes like and Mineral. The body is Medium. The wine has Smooth texture. The wine finishes Medium.
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5/13/2012 - rickspicks wrote: 92 Points
Lovely nose of red and dark fruits, earth, spice and dried, slightly decaying leaves in the fall. Impeccable balance with a medium body and a terrific, silky, slightly lean mouthfeel. Long finish with just a touch of sourness at the end. Deep, complex flavors. Very Oregonian in style and completely delicious. 92-93
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5/11/2012 - Happybob wrote: 91 Points
Maybe this could have used a bit more age. Very nice.
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4/26/2012 - cliffkol wrote: 92 Points
Perfumed bouquet of dark berries, earth , forest floor, smoke, game. Tastes of dark berries, sour cherries, earth, oak. Integrated tannins, structured. Silky, smooth. Drinking great right now. Medium finish. The main difference between this bottle and our prior bottle in 2011 is that the flavors were fuller, deeper six months ago. Otherwise, a really nice wine and still in the 90's. (Doris: 90. Loved this wine. Big bouquet of earth, and cherries. Flavors of cherries, earth. Smooth and elegant)
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4/17/2012 - 3daywinereview.com wrote:
Good again with earth, mild funk, forest floor and subtle fruits. Medium finish.
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4/12/2012 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
BYOB Tasting Menu Meritage (Meritage, St. Paul): Dark red color. I believe this got about 30 minutes top on the decant. Drank 1+ glass over 30 minutes. It was gorgeous as usual. I love the mix damp and dry earth, perfumed, black raspberry and black cherry fruit, mushroom. The palate is ever so elegant, and very, very, long. Just another spectacular bottle. And what great pairing with the lacquered duck. Thank you Mark Vlossak! 94+pts.
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3/3/2012 - dpolivy wrote: 93 Points
Opened up for a couple of hours before serving, but still tasted quite young. Loads of cherry fruit on the nose but a really nice complexity on the palate. Some earthiness and fine tannins on the finish. Really enjoyed this, and wish I had some more.
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2/29/2012 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
This is a wine to age. Day 3 review and it is much better. Saddlewood, strawberry, floral, spice and minerals. Very balanced wine and medium finish. Should keep improving with age and as always a favorite Oregon wine.
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2/21/2012 - rickspicks wrote: 94 Points
No notes, but it was really terrific. Lots of dark, ripe berry fruit along with a big dose of earth and some spice. It paints a broad swath across the palate with a lot of complexity. Medium body with perfect balance and a smooth texture. Long finish. This has pretty much everything I enjoy most in a pinot and nothing that I don't like. A joy to drink.
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2/18/2012 - subir wrote: 96 Points
As transporting a bouquet of forest floor, leather, raspberry as any other white rose. Light to medium bodied, and that long, 2 minute finish almost like truffles is there.
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1/30/2012 - Rechrom wrote: 92 Points
Took about three hours in the decanter to really open up, but when it did it was very nice both with food and on its own. Developing nose of red berry, palate of berries, spice notes and some earth. Very full palate and a long and clean finish.
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12/3/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (Levain, Mpls): Brought this bottle to the event as a "just in case we need it" bottle. And, we needed it to replace a corked Burg. This was a popped and vinturied into glasses wine. And wow, it was good, the best bottle i have had since early 2010. Consistent with previous notes. My #2 WOTN.
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10/8/2011 - cliffkol wrote: 87 Points
Not sure what happened but this bottle was not up to par. Not corked but very tannic and way too earthy and oaky. Still have one bottle remaining. Hopefully that will be up to the expected standards.
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10/1/2011 - DuaneT wrote:
Though I'm sick and my nose is clogged today, I can tell that this wine is fantastic. Great aromatics of red fruits that comes across well balanced on the palate. The cloying sweetness I remember from my last bottle is not present at all today.
Will not rate due to my cold, but it seems to be a solid 91+.
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9/11/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
The Itty Bitty CellarTracker Party (Judith's House): Dark red color. 1.5hr decant, drank over 2 hours. This bottle was consistent with previous notes. Nose is effusive with layers of complexity, florals, earth, dark red fruit followed by that ultra velvety mouth coating sensation on the palate. Long finish. Sheer joy. WOTN.
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8/3/2011 - cliffkol wrote: 93 Points
Wow. Forward aromas of big red fruits jump out of the glass as a bouquet of cherries, flowers and earth. This wine is seductive, rich and full of flavors. It stops just short of being too big, and sweet. But it works, and well! Flavors of bright cherries, flowers, earth and spices. Decanted 2 hours. Tannins softened and well integrated. Long lingering finish leaves flavors of fruits and earth. (Doris 92. Bouquet and flavors of cherries. This wine is ready now. Liquid Gold and Seductive.)
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5/15/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Wordwide Pinots Blind plus a few more (Levain (Mpls)): Medium dark red color. Beautiful nose of earth, mushrooms, spices, flowers, black cherry, black raspberry. The palate is elegant with with great balance and a long finish. Most thought this was a Burgundy, and that certainly nails it stylistically. This was my clear favorite of the night.
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5/4/2011 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 91 Points
Not as good as six months to a year ago. Dust, raspberry, spice and floral notes on the nose. The palate is a bit chalky with spice, raspberries and wafer. Medium finish but not as balanced as previous bottles. I hope this is a dumb phase and we will see.
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4/10/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club Does Domestic Pinots for the Masters (Becky's House): Dark red color. Nose took about 15 minutes to open despite aerating. The nose as always is wonderful: beautiful perfumed florals, red fruits, cranberry, earth notes, mushrooms, and spices. The palate is lush in the mouth and concentrated with great depth. Always a treat. 93-94pts. Group number 2, edged out by the 2003 Springhill by one vote!
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3/10/2011 - bcc725 wrote:
Followed 99 Eyrie Reserve. Unfair to score given the palate impression of the preceding wine...but very well made. Earthy, loamy note a little heavy...hopefully will integrate and balance in time. Will give 2 years before popping another.
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2/1/2011 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 93 Points
Twin Cities Wine Club: Oregon Pinot Noir (Twin Cities): Not as good as previous bottles but solid with earth, forest floor, strawberry and floral notes. Good structure and medium finish.
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12/16/2010 - FPNova wrote: 93 Points
Ruby with a purple tint. Exotic floral, rose petal and earthy spice aromas explode out of the glass! Flavors of strawberry, raspberry and flowers with earthy minerals and spices. Velvety smooth with firm but mellow tannins and a long finish. A truly eloquent wine that has many years in front of it to evolve into the future.
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12/7/2010 - hiker_guy wrote:
Very nice showing at a tasting tonight. One of the top wines poured. Still young and could benefit from some more bottle age but at 2 hours open it was pretty fantastic. Well balanced. Nice food wine.
Would buy again.
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11/26/2010 - Rechrom wrote: 90 Points
Drunk side by side with a 2008 Jadot GC CSJ and it came in second but held its own. Fruit driven, not a lot of grip, do not think this is headed for a long life but is fine drinking now.
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11/25/2010 - rocknroller wrote:
This was served with Thanksgiving dinner, number two for the day. While very good, this bottle did not show as well as previous bottles. I don't know if it was the amount and variety of food consumed that day or the general bloating, but it didn't shine like the past. probably 91 today, but I will withhold an official score.
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11/25/2010 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
Dark berry aromas and flavors with some pronounced earthiness and a lot of spice. Velvety textures, but also a dose of acidity. Surprisingly ripe and rich for this vintage - I actually prefer a leaner style, but this is full of flavors and very tasty.
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10/20/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 95 Points
St. Innocent Tasting: My current wine of the year and another great showing. Far superior to the 08 at this stage. Strawberry, floral, white pepper, wood and spice. Balanced and the tannins are not hard like the 08. Great bottle of wine.
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10/17/2010 - uhclem wrote: 89 Points
This wine is in a pretty good place right now. Slutty vineyard plus an austere vintage equals a slightly more restrained White Rose experience. Don't feel you need to hold off on opening these. They are quite accessible and open for business today.
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10/9/2010 - clericjohnbrown wrote: 89 Points
Young, spicy, smokey, and earth driven with hints of dark cherries, mushrooms and faint notes of cranberry, flowers, and cocoa. grippy, firm palate with a persistently earthy finish that lasts.
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9/20/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 95 Points
Hello! Paired with the tasting menu at Heartland and just paid the $20 corkage. Cedar, truffles, spice, strawberries just jumping out of the glass. Concentrated palate and medium finish. Even with pour stemware the wine was a rock star and a front runner for my wine of the year.
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8/15/2010 - uhclem wrote: 88 Points
This is a decent entry for a White Rose. It has a lot of the force of that vineyard--heady nose and front palate concentration, although I think the 2007 vintage restrains the exuberance a bit. Might be missing something in the mid-palate. This is drinking pretty well now, but I might hold one bottle back to see how it ages.
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8/14/2010 - DuaneT wrote: 89 Points
While most 2007 Oregon Pinots are light and somewhat watery, this was thick, concentrated and candied (no, candied isn't necessarily good). Very powerful sweet flavor, almost like I'm licking a candied cherry. And I mean my-mouth-feels-like-I've-been-eating-Swedish-Fish-all-day sweet. The smell is wonderful, but also dominated by sweet red fruits, with some floral overtones. Though there is acidity, this wine is not particularly well-balanced, but very tasty as I polished off through this bottle in about an hour.
Need a half hour of decanting before drinking, otherwise the sweet flavor is overwhelming.
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7/24/2010 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Bright red berry with subtle spice. Lighter style overall with good balance, good textures. Best to cellar 3-5+ years and see what happens. 87 points today, but I think it has 88-90 point potential.
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7/23/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
Artisan Vineyards/ Haskell's Tasting (Minneapolis): Cedar, strawberry, earth and floral notes. Drinking well and super structure to this wine. This might be the wine of the vintage for Willamette.
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6/15/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
A nice wine with cherry, floral, pepper, and spice featuring intense aromas. This wine should blossom into something even better down the road as it has the components.
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3/7/2010 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
This wine was in its glory tonight. This was the fifth bottle I have had now and it has never been less than 94. This wine really has it all: finesse, elegance, balance, a complex nose and palate with a long, lingering finish. The '07 White Rose is a shining star. What a phenomenal wine. This wine has one of the most gorgeous pinot noses ever. Beautiful perfumed red fruit, with pleasant spice notes that don't overwhelm and an earthiness that evokes a great Burgundy. The wine has an exquisite balance with well intergrated tannins, excellent acidity, and a velvety mouth feel. The finish goes on and on. 95 points.
Vlossak continues to produce killer wines across the portfolio. Clearly with each vintage we are seeing his maturity as a winemaker.
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3/7/2010 - Mattshank wrote: 95 Points
St. Innocent Mini Tasting (Edina Country Club, MN): Nose: Bright red fruits, amazingly floral with very pronounced loamy red clay aromas. Pure Dundee Hills AVA. Awesome nose! Palate: Almost perfume-like flavors with the high toned red fruits showing and the loamy qualities in full force. Great acid profile and a very elegant finish. This wine just kept going all night long and really showcases Mark Vlossak's winemaking talents. Wonderful wine and hands down my WOTN.
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3/7/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 95 Points
Minneapolis Does St. Innocent (Edina Country Club): Medium purple. Nose of funk, floral, cranberry, and clay. On the palate this rocks with spice, cherry, white pepper, and roses. Good acidity and concentrated wine. Really balanced and for an 07 maybe the wine of the Vintage for Willamette.
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2/27/2010 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Drank this bottle with another pinot lover. She had never experienced St. Innocent. What a treat for her! Well, for all of us! This is a fantastic wine. Aromatic nose that is floral and perfumed, but with nice earth notes and generous red fruit. Full bodied Pinot, a gorgeous color. There is so much going on in this complex wine. The palate evolves as well with spice box, black cherry, pepper, and great acidity. Wonderfull long finish. A truly elegant wine.
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1/16/2010 - peterhimes wrote: 91 Points
Tried the White Rose Vineyard version last week, wanted to try this. A better wine in several dimensions - floral nose, earth tones bur not overwhelming, v good finish. Compare well with Domaine d'larlot
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11/28/2009 - Rechrom wrote: 91 Points
Two hours of air. Great fruit, nice nose, good length. Very forward for this winery for a young wine, a lot of depth of sweet berry fruit, good grip, easily could improve with age.
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7/28/2009 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
A friend of mine reminded me of this night that changed the impressions of the 2007 vintage of Oregon Pinot Noir at the Wine Company in St. Paul, MN. As one of the first pro reviewers in the world to call how great these wines were I will take a lot of the credit. Just found my notes on this night and can't believe I did not post them moons ago. The 2007 White Rose is an amazing wine featuring rose petals, forest floor, cherry, mild spices and red berry fruits. Long finish and elegant. Just a wonderful wine!
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7/28/2009 - Mattshank wrote: 92 Points
OR Pinot Event (Land Stewardship Project) (St. Paul, MN): Nose: Big and spicy with some earthy hints. Palate: The spice comes through loud and clear on this one. So elegant with an amazingly clean finish. Tied for #2 WOTN with the 2007 Seven Springs vineyard.
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6/21/2009 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 87 Points
Tasting in the Eola Amity AVA (Willamette Valley): Light nose, distinctive oak spice and cherry. Really nice, pure fruit on the mid-palate, with just a slight hint of greenness. Good fruit on the finish, tastes a bit like a berry otter pop, but is overall light in flavor.
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