The Four Graces

Willamette Valley

08 Pinot Noir

$29.00 a bottle

I am very proud to say I was able to venture away from California wine country to Oregon wine country and taste some great Oregon Pinots! I am a huge Russian River Valley Pinot Noir fan but was told by a number of my wine friends that I haven’t tasted the best Pinot until I’ve tasted Oregon Pinot. Of coarse this sparked my curiosity and I had to plan a trip to taste. I began my trip in Portland, Oregon which was an incredible fun city in itself. I fell in love with it actually, I definitely did not have enough time there. Of course when I landed that March afternoon there was no rain and the sun was shinning which I was told is a rarity. So the next morning I headed to the Willamette Valley to start my Pinot discoveries. First stop on my lengthy list was The Four Graces in Dundee, Oregon. This winery came highly recommended by several of my wine friends as a must stop. A very cute country cottage winery with an incredibly friendly man named Jason was pouring behind the bar. Definitely a great place to start my trip tasting. Lets just say I left with a case. Out of all the Pinots I tasted in Oregon this Pinot is the closest to the Russian River Valley style, hence probably why I liked it so much. I was really expecting for Oregon Pinots to be huge fruit bombs but was pleasantly surprised when they weren’t. The aromas of this Four Graces 08 Pinot are of slight floral, ceder, and dark fruits. First tasting of strong black cherry, other dark fruits and spice. Then having a earthy soil finish, very light and smooth. This Pinot is definitely elegant yet earthy reminding me of the Russian River Valley Pinot I love so much. With my first winery stop turning out as great as it did I couldn’t wait to visit the rest on my list. My next blog will be on my second winery stop in the Willamette Valley. To be continued..................