Medium reddish purple color in the glass. A bit shy, with pleasant aromas of dark red and black berries. Bright cherry and raspberry flavors complimented with hints of spice and oak. Intensely flavorful, with soft tannins and welcome vibrancy. Excellent density and length for a representative appellation wine.

The ripe, rich red berry and dark berry flavors are front and center, bold and layered, appropriately youthful and snappy in their vibrancy. The youthful core of blackberry, wild berry and raspberry is appealing now.

This initially flirts with reduction and I would suggest giving this a few minutes in a decanter or leaving the bottle open for 30 minutes. With air the nose reveals notably more deeply pitched aromas of various dark pinot, plum and violet scents. Once again there is good verve to the delicious and well-delineated medium weight flavors that deliver solid if not truly special depth and length on the balanced finish. This offers excellent value at $22 and would make a fine choice for an age-worthy house pinot.

Here the cool and restrained nose displays more fruit from the red side of the spectrum along with wisps of rose petal, tea and sandalwood. There is a bit more volume and focused power to the delicious, complex and vibrant medium weight flavors that are slightly firmer as well as a bit more complex as well. Note that while this too could easily be enjoyed now I would be inclined to give it at least a few years of bottle age first. Note that this offers very good value for the price.

Like the notes of the Ewald, aromas of menthol and cherry cough drop along with a whisper of herbal tea presently dominate the expressive nose. There is very good volume and richness to the sleek and refined middle weight flavors that possess solid depth and very good length where once again hints of warmth and bitter cherry appear. While not invisible this bold effort carries its considerable alcohol with reasonable grace though stylistically it's not my favorite.

This was markedly reduced and required considerable aeration to dissipate the funk so be sure to decant this beforehand if you’re tempted to try a bottle young. With air the nose reveals aromas that come from the darker side of the fruit spectrum along with rich and voluminous flavors that also possess a lush mouth feel. Once again there is enough warmth to notice though in this case the finish carries the elevated level of alcohol with a bit more grace though I underscore that it’s hardly subtle. This receives a marginally better score based on superior depth but despite this being quite firmly structured, I wouldn’t be inclined to age it more than a few years.

Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. Shy, but pleasant aromas of wild blueberries and blackberries. The most opulent, sappiest wine in the 2013 lineup with a plethora of blueberry, black plum and blackberry fruits backed by very firm, slightly aggressive tannins. The juicy finish is filled with expansive fruit, leaving behind a taste of oak and black tea.

Notes of menthol, spice and a hint of violets add breadth to the mostly red berry fruit aromas. There is good verve and detail to the delicious medium weight flavors that possess the same sleek mouth feel and intensity as several wines in the range before concluding in a dusty, palate coating and relatively robust finish. This is built-to-age but the warmth is sufficiently pronounced that it’s not entirely clear that it will go the distance successfully. As such I am suggesting a “middle ground” approach with my projected drinking window.

Here the herbal tea character is more pronounced and while by no means dominant it is not what I would describe as subtle on the almost exclusively red currant and spice-scented nose. There is fine density to the rounded and generously proportioned flavors that possess a lovely sense of energy and reasonably good detail on the youthfully austere, balanced and solidly persistent finish where once again a hint of bitter cherry appears. This won't be for everyone as I suspect the herbal tea character may be enough to bother some though I do not find it to be off putting.

There is a touch of menthol present on the kirsch and cherry cough drop-like nose. The sleekly textured medium-bodied flavors possess good volume and richness before culminating in a dusty, moderately firm and mouth coating finish where there is enough warmth to remark upon. This is bigger and richer than the Sonoma Coast but I prefer the delivery of the latter.

A less expressive nose only grudgingly exhibits notes of dark cherry, clove and violets. The middle weight flavors possess a sleek palate feel as well as fine intensity, all wrapped in a dusty, mouth coating and mildly austere finish. This will need a year or two of bottle age to better harmonize as it’s a bit youthfully awkward at present.

Gobs of rich, juicy blackberry and red berry fruit are front and center, shaded by creamy oak and deceptively firm tannins. Offers immediate appeal, with room for cellaring.

Smoky and earthy, this is robust Pinot, brooding in dark, baked plum. Fuller bodied in style, it’s lush and dense on the palate, with a murky, forest-floor streak that’s both bewildering and bewitching. The finish is thick in toasty oak.

Tasting 2008 Oregon Pinot Noirs at Age 10 On the lighter side, with refreshing, open-textured guava and cherry flavors.

Moderately ripe blackberry fruit, with a thin streak of cola, sets up a wine aged just 10 months in a mix of new and older barrels. The barrel time does not show up in the flavors until the finish resolves in a charred, slightly bitter note. This would benefit from another couple of years of bottle age.

The winery releases an extensive lineup of single vineyard Pinots; here is the mix of leftover barrels. Purple fruits, earth, slightly green tannins and a hint of toast come into play. 89 points.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two "2011 was a cool, wet, really challenging vintage," says Lynn Penner-Ash. The 2011 Pinot Noir is pale to medium ruby in color with aromas of black cherries and warm blackberries with notes of dried floral perfume, cracked pepper, charcuterie and a hint of fried herbs. Light to medium-bodied, it’s peppery and black fruited in the mouth with Syrah-like notes of pepper, meat and herbs. It has very firm, chewy tannins and just enough freshness to lift the long savory finish.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two "In 2007 it was a little cooler, and it started getting wet through the entire growing season. We had some nice heat near the end of the vintage, but the damage was done—we had some problems with botrytis. We sorted excessively and threw out about 30% to 40% of the fruit due to rot and disease pressure." Pale to medium ruby-garnet in color, the 2007 Pinot Noir opens with a classic nose of black and red cherries, wet leaves, cola and wood smoke with notions of underbrush. Light to medium-bodied, it has restrained black fruit in the mouth with strong notes of earth—turned soil, wet bark, tea leaves and dust—with a frame of soft, grainy tannins and just enough acidity to carry the long earthy finish.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two "In 2003 it was really warm and it caught us all by surprise," says Lynn Penner-Ash of the early heat that year. "From about 2,100 to 2,200 heat units, we were up to 2,500 heat units. 2003 was the first year we started talking about acid additions and how to utilize them. We decided that we needed to balance these wines because they were intense, high sugar and low acid, and making the best wine from that vintage required an acid addition." Pale to medium garnet in color, the 2003 Pinot Noir has a nose of baked red cherries and baked cranberries with suggestions of dusty earth, dried leaves, fresh tobacco and Bergamot. The light to medium-bodied palate gives up plenty of dried red fruit character with notes of tobacco and Amaro. It has tensile, grainy tannins and juicy acidity carrying the orange peel-laced finish.

Tart and trim with appealing blueberry and spicy licorice flavors that open to refined tannins. 89 points. Very good.

At first high-toned with sharp edges, this rewards decanting with an expansive core of purple plum, bramble, tobacco and licorice flavors. It's open and accessible, with some chalkiness as it finishes. 89 points.

Medium straw color with a slight spritz. So much floral explosion on the nose: honeysuckle, orange blossom, dandelion, along with honey, peach nectar, green pear and guava. Full-bodied and plump but not heavy due to the moderating acidity. Pulses with lime, guava and white peach, lots of floral perfume and orange blossom along with honeycomb, waxy notes, and a lingering sense of minerals and saline. Big but vibrant for Viognier, a very pretty interpretation. All stainless steel, sourced from vineyards in the Rogue and Columbia Valleys. 89 points.

Crisp, light, dry and zingy with acidity, delivering citrusy apple and delicate peach flavors, lingering gently. 89 points. Very good.

The nose is petrol and apricot with underlying notes of exotic lychee. The palate is a resinous lemon and golden stone fruits. 89 points.

The 2013 Syrah/Grenache Simpson Vineyard is one of the best wines in the range, and also the best value. The flavors are really popping today. Violet, lavender, mint, earthiness and spice notes meld into an expressive core of dark blue/black fruit. Bright, juicy and expressive, the 2013 hits all the right notes. If the future of Novy is more wines like this, the future looks especially bright. In 2013, the Syrah and Grenache were co-fermented.