USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two Pale to medium ruby-garnet in color, the 2008 Pinot Noir has a lovely nose of chocolate-covered cherries and warm blackberries with a spicy core of dried violets, potpourri, leather and warm earth. Light to medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with dark fruits and spices plus a wonderful streak of dried floral perfume. It offers a strong frame of grainy tannins and wonderful freshness to lift the long, layered finish. This is drinking beautifully right now.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two Pale to medium garnet in color, the 2002 Pinot Noir is scented of stewed black tea leaves and black cherries with notes of leather, wet leaves and baker’s chocolate. Light to medium-bodied, it’s holding up beautifully in the mouth with lovely notes of chocolate and dark fruits plus suggestions of Bergamot, autumn leaves, bitter peel and tree bark. It has a frame of firm, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness to carry the long black cherry finish.

This opaque and dark purple colored GSM from Novy is very good. It opens with a fragrant blackberry jam bouquet with hints of old leather. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced, juicy and rich. The flavor profile is an extracted blackberry and anise blend with notes of stewed plum. I also detected hints of wild strawberry, beef stick and a touch of minerality. The finish is dry and its fruit flavors fade away nicely. This wine is food friendly and would pair well with bourbon-glazed steak tips.

This opaque and very dark purple colored Cabernet Sauvignon finished in second place in our Big Blind Tasting. It opens with a fragrant blueberry bouquet with notes of cherry-cola. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, very well-balanced, silky and fruit forward. The flavor profile is a blueberry and dark chocolate blend with notes of kirsch and oak. We also detected hints of currant and espresso. The finish is dry and its flavors and well-managed tannins show terrific length. This Cab would pair well with a short rib stew.

Merlot and More from an Exciting McLaren Vale Estate Of the four 2015 Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard wines, “The Revivalist” Merlot intrigued me the most. It is the lightest of the four, the most approachable now, and the most nuanced, at least now. Its aroma suggests dark plum, tea, cedar and accents of dried herbs, with a tobacco note developing over time -- classic Merlot. Its flavors include red plum along with the tea and herbs evident on the nose. The wine is dry and nearly full-bodied, with a moderate amount of ripe tannin as well as high acidity that enlivens the wine and brings a juicy note to the fruit. It is a soft wine, but thanks to its acidity this wine is lively within its softness.

Medium-dark purplish ruby; attractive, ripe, spicy, blackberry and boysenberry fruit aroma with herbal notes and hints of mint, dried herbs, and milk chocolate; full body; deep, concentrated, ripe, layered, dark berry fruit flavors with herbal notes and undertones of spicy oak; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Rich, ripe, and relatively mature flavors make this wine very approachable and enjoyable to drink now as it developed with airing in the glass, though also worthy of several more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two The 2016 Upland Pinot Noir is pale to medium ruby-purple in color with lovely aromas of dried blue flowers and charcuterie over dried black cherries, blackcurrants and notions of forest 􀃓oor. Medium-bodied with layers of dark fruit, spice and earth in the mouth, it has wonderful juicy acidity and grainy tannins, finishing on a floral note.

This wine is fermented partially in concrete, partially in amphora and French oak puncheon. Lemony green-apple and peach flavors star with ease against a backdrop of creamy, lush texture and plenty of fresh bright acidity.

My First Annual Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noirs (Part One) Another deep, lovely fruity nose with black cherry and spice. Really big fruit on the palate, which thins out a bit on the mid-palate, and the spice comes in on the finish. Outstanding.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two A barrel sample, the 2017 Pinot Noir Aliette is pale to medium ruby-purple in color with a nose of spiced red fruits—red cherry, strawberry and cranberry—with nuances of floral perfume, underbrush and warm earth. Medium-bodied, it has lovely concentration of red and black fruits in the mouth accented by spice, with fine, grainy tannins and great juicy acidity, finishing long with oodles of sweet fruit. This is promising.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2015 Block 6 Pinot Noir has an earthy nose of wet leaves and forest floor over dark fruits—black cherries and currants—with dried lilac perfume. Medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with bramble berry jam and sweet spices plus earthy notions, framed by fine-grained tannins and wonderful juicy acidity, finishing with lovely fruit and floral layers.

The first vintage of this wine, the 2015 Vista Pinot Noir is pale to medium ruby-purple in color with a bright, open nose of red and black cherries and berries, dusty earth, autumn leaves and crushed rocks. Light to medium-bodied, it's very vibrant in the mouth with concentrated ripe red and black fruits and earthy accents. It has very 􀃒ne, pixelated tannins and mouthwatering acidity, finishing long and layered.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, the 2016 Pinot Noir has an open, deep nose of black cherries, cassis, blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry jam with notes of spice, wood smoke, underbrush and earth. Medium-bodied, it packs in the ripe, dark blue and black fruits in the mouth with a soft frame of new oak spice and earthy nuances. It offers grainy tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long with sweet fruit and spice. This is a bigger, richer style, but it's very nicely done.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two A blend of 53% Chardonnay and 47% Pinot Noir with two years' tirage, the NV Brut Rosé is pale to medium salmon-pink in color with an open nose of Meyer lemon, chamomile flowers, red apples, cream and toast. It's dry and gregarious in the mouth, with lively red berries flavors accented by apple and toast. It has great crushed rock minerality and crisp acidity with persistent mousse and a long berry finish. This was disgorged in April 2017.

PinotFest 2018 More than any other characteristics, Byron’s Pinot Noir over the decades exude a medium to full-bodied roundness with dimensionality, a silky-smooth glycerol-like texture, and they always showcase the attributes of the Pinot Noir grape varietal faithfully. This 2014 Monument is no exception. Most notable on the palate are black-cherries, mulberries, with just a whisper of green tea. The grapes source from alluvial outcroppings and sandy loam soils at an elevation of 500 to 800 feet above sea level about18 miles from the Pacific. Byron calls Monument their flagship Pinot Noir. Roughly 300 cases were produced and oak was 100% French about 90% new.

Powerful and well-structured, with savory richness to the ripe grapefruit, green pear and crisp apple flavors. Pastry notes linger on the finish.

Discreet elements of vanilla, roasted grains and toasted brioche are interwoven with abundant, sweet fruit in the effusive and decidedly complex aromas of this immediately involving wine, and there is no loss of richness or range to its deeply fruited, multi-faceted flavors. While quite full and slightly viscous on entry, it is buoyed by fine fruity acidity and shows very good finishing length. There is no need to hurriedly pull its cork, but it is in fine drinking shape now. 2 stars.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two The 2015 Pinot Noir Conifer is a little youthfully shy on the nose, giving way with coaxing to cinnamon stick, clove, ripe black cherries and black berries with notions of dried leaves and underbrush plus touches of charcuterie—this is very savory! Medium-bodied, it's got wonderful layers of ripe black fruits, earth and spice, framed by fine, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long and savory with just a touch of heat.

Juicy and succulent, with blackberry, blueberry and pomegranate flavors at the polished core. Accents of black pepper and clove linger on the spicy finish, which is full of finesse and thick tannins. Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two The 2005 Pinot Noir Pierre Leon is medium garnet in color and scented of dried red fruits—rhubarb, strawberry and red cherries—with notes of raspberry jam, pipe tobacco, wood smoke and pretty floral perfume—the savory/tertiary aromas are just beginning to show through. Medium-bodied, it offers sweet red fruits in the mouth framed by wonderfully grainy tannins and juicy acidity carrying the finish. This is drinking beautifully right now!

I have don’t have a long history with this Oregon pinot that has been made for over two decades, but this is a quality drop of wine. It’s a terrific vintage and using a diverse mix of vineyards has woven a delicious complexity into this humble pinot. This red/black fruit jumps from the glass with a silky svelteness we don’t see in California. Flowers, minerals, forest floor and deliciously sour cherry fruit entice your palate with every sip. The finish is equally impressive with intense, long-lasting flavours that linger forever.

Minty sage and an intensely tart sense of citrus and rhubarb shine in this balanced, coastal-influenced red, which retains plenty of tannic power against its fresh bubbly acidity.

Well-focused on a core of ripe plum, cherry and red and dark berry flavors, supported by dusty, fine-grained tannins that give this pleasant oomph.

Oregon Displays Collective Greatness: 400-Plus Wines Rated This offers an array of fresh and brambly red cherries with a very neatly focused, red-cherry and raspberry core on the palate, wrapped in gently sinewy tannins. Attractively fresh resolve.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2015 Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard has a nose of warm cinnamon, dusty earth and dried tea leaves over a core of black and red cherries and berries plus notes of licorice, forest floor and dried floral perfume. Light to medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with warm fruits, earth, cardamom and vanilla. It offers grainy, slightly chewy tannins and just enough acidity to lift the dense finish, ending with just a touch of alcoholic heat.