Four of us gathered at the usual spot this month for what was supposed to be a “free for all” theme. Somehow, everybody ended up bringing Pinot Noir. No problem!
2006 Cristom Viognier Estate Eola-Amity Hills Willamette Valley. Purchased off the restaurant wine list, this Viognier sports a surprisingly reigned-in bouquet that after a while offers up some powdered minerals, faint orange blossom, peach skin and dried apple peel aromas. It is a touch viscous but not gooey or heavy on the palate. Flavors of peach pit and grainy wood up front lead to fun spices at the back of the palate and a big, late squirt of acidity keeps it interesting. The finish is a bit grainy and is showing some soft heat—this likely needs a few more months to better integrate.
1992 Panther Creek Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard Willamette Valley. The nose opens up a bit muddied and muddled, but quickly sorts itself out into interesting aromas of sour cherries, dried leather, dusty attic, dry leaves, creosote and a hint of sweat sock. In the mouth, it is medium-bodied, quite smooth and rounded, with a tangy and peppery profile that makes for pleasant drinking.
1992 Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir Willamette Valley. This is a delight, especially the lovely Burgundian bouquet featuring sappy dark cherry and cranberry fruit, funky sous bois elements, foresty mushrooms, new leather and loamy, leafy notes. It is softly caressing in the mouth, with plenty of tangy mixed berry fruits in a medium-bodied package. Tannins are resolved, and this is holding onto fine balance. It is sappy-textured with good structure, and a pleasantly wide mid-palate and fine finish.
1999 Chehalem Pinot Noir Ridgecrest Vineyards Willamette Valley. This bottle was mildly CORKED. I took the leftovers home and tried the Saran Wrap treatment. And it seemed to work, as neither I nor my wife could detect any corked aromas on the nose, though I felt the palate was a bit rougher than it might otherwise have been. Here is the post-Saran treatment tasting note: Aromas of mixed blue and purple berries, bark and earth are pleasant but only surface-deep. In the mouth, it is very tart, with a dry edge. It is showing plenty of candied fruit through the middle, but a pinched, mouth-puckering finish. Drinking with some pasta seems to soften the edges quite a bit and help it flesh out somewhat. A partial recovery, anyway!
2004 Phillips Hill Pinot Noir Comptche Ridge Vineyard Mendocino. The nose on this young wine needs a bit of time to open up, but it gets better and better over the course of the evening. It offers up aromas of forest greens, bark, white pepper and a good amount of creamy yet sappy raspberry notes. It is cool and earthy in the mouth, with a big dose of spicy, chalky notes. Yet, it is fairly big and creamy, with decidedly low acidity. However, it has some fine layering beginning to show in the pleasing texture and lots of enjoyable flavor and spice running all the way through it. This was a group favorite behind the Fiddlehead.
2002 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley. This is a bit green on the nose, with lots of stems and tomato leaf aromas accompanying notes of bright red currants. It is very open-knit and soft in the mouth, with flavors of tingly red and black berry fruits and chocolate accents. The wine seems to grow into itself with some air, taking on a more pleasantly sappy mouthfeel over time. The finish feels more precise than the open mid-palate. OK, but not one of my favorites.
2005 Jerome Galeyrand Fixin 1er Cru Les Hervelets. The nose seems shut down to me, with some generic aromas of dark berries, chocolate and moss. It is smoky in the mouth, with notes of bark and earthy greens riding beneath the blueberry and mulberry fruit. It is medium-bodied and tightly acidic, with a big dose of tannins clamping down. This is very very young and I frankly have a hard time sensing its potential—all I can say is give this plenty of time before trying again.
-Michael