Oregon Pinot Noir was the subject of Friday Night's neighborhood tasting wherein that rarest of things occurred, the group #1 (60 voters) and my #1 were the same wine.
While people were setting up, the folowing were available for self-pour.
2006 O'Reilly's: simple, balanced, easy to drink. $16
2005 Foris: just a tad more depth than the O'Reilly's, but pretty much the same. $17
2005 St. Joseph: The standout of the group with a spicy nose and a little mushroom with the cherries. $14
2006 Eola Hills: Lighter, more evolved than expected for an '06, but just fair. $12
The sit-down blind tasting, at which none were dogs, and of which I'd recently tasted all but the Evesham Wood:
2004 Domaine Serene, Evanstadt Reserve, Dundee Hills $45
Aromatic, generous fruit, modestly voluptuous; plum, blackberry and currants with a little spice and that Oregon violet, elegant and oh so well balanced from the very first sip. Group first place with 75 points, and my favorite too.
2005 Domaine Drouhin, Dundee Hills $38
Deep and dense with earth and smoke, black cherries and plums. Very complex, and a marked change from the delicate 04. The winemaker calls this "true to the vintage". One to buy for the cellar. My 2nd place wine, group 4th by a nose (58 points).
2005 Dobbes Family Winery, Grand Assemblage Cuvee, Dundee $25This was a wine that impressed me in Oregon, so I drug it home for the tasting. Of all the wines this had the most classic pinot nose. In the glass it developed spicy-earthy berry flavors and even some black pepper and foresty stuff--it could just as easily been my 2nd place wine, I kept going back and forth. Admittedly, suspecting the other was the Drouhin and understanding it's sure-thing cellar potential was what tipped my vote. For sheery beauty, I'd probably have voted for the Dobbes. Quite enticing, and I'm glad I bought this, an ethereal viognier, and the single vineyard Quailhurst for my cellar--where has Joe Dobbes been hiding all this time? My 3rd place wine, group 3rd place too (56 points).
2005 Panther Creek Winemaker's Cuvee $25
It seems that every tasting has a love-it-or-hate-it wine, and Friday night this was that wine. But I knew it would be polarizing, and that's why I chose it. Brooding with a nose of roasting coffee beans that turns increasingly smokey. Interesting and attractive on its own, which I've had, but surprisingly green and hoppy in the company of five other pinots, which an hour in the glass dissipates but that's too late for this crowd. Robust body and a little on the rustic side, but handsome. Not what I usually seek out in pinot, but could I use a pinot for red meat dishes (last night I paired it with beef and mushrooms in a fresh rosemary and garlic sauce)? Oh yes. I just ordered a case up from Seattle at $19. Killer QPR. My 4th, group last place with just 23 points (Interestingly, half those points came from 4 first place votes).
2004 Cottonwood Winery "Marina Piper", St. Paul, OR $27
I found this wine at the Horseradish Cafe in Carlton, a five-months old cafe/cheese shop/tasting bar that everyone who visits Oregon wine country should stop by for lunch. They pour tiny producers who don't have tasting rooms and aren't repped elsewhere, and to them we owe the discovery of this wine and the 2005 Styring Wit. At the winery, and last night at dinner, I found plush cherry fruit with a dose of blueberry pie supported by silky tannins. Great QPR. On Friday night, though, the nose smelled sweetly of baby powder (others agreed) and I couldn't love it. My last place wine, group 5th place wine with 41 points.
2006 Evesham Wood, Willamette $17
Pretty nose, cherry, some cola, and the finish turned simple toward the end, causing me to downgrade it to 6th. Up until then, though, there was nothing that indicated that it was the least expensive wine in the flight. At least to me: it nailed 2nd place with 70 points from the crowd, and indeed it WAAAY outclassed the similarly priced O'Reilly's and Foris above.
