Anam Cara Cellars

2007 Estate Reserve

Pinot Noir

$40.00 a bottle

I truly had an incredible journey through Oregon wine country tasting many Pinots. I have to admit I was a skeptic of Oregon Pinot Noir before my trip believing there was no way Oregon Pinot could be as good as my ever so favorite Russian River Valley Pinot. Let’s just say I was wrong. I’m ending my Oregon Pinot blog with the very best Oregon Pinot I found. Hence the saying “Saved the best for last.” Two days of tasting numerous Oregon Pinots this 2007 Anam Cara Estate Reserve stood out among the rest. I was told by a few wine friends that this winery had some of the best Oregon Pinot and should be a must stop. I was very eager that Saturday to get to Anam Cara Cellars, to try this “So called best Oregon Pinot.” I was also very excited to finally get to meet winery owner Sheila Nicholas, who knew I would be coming by. Again I met up with twitter friend Jack @NWwines and headed to taste and meet Nick and Sheila Nicholas. Both Nick and Sheila are really some of the friendliest people I’ve met in the wine industry. Literally welcoming me with open arms and a huge hug.

I tasted all their wines that day that were open, but fell in love with this 2007 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir. Truly an exquisite Pinot! This wine has aromas of Rhubarb and spice, soil and earth. First tasting blackberries, slight plum then finishing with a smooth light earthiness. What I love so much about this Pinot, is the complex earthiness I crave in a great Pinot but was elegantly light. Making this a great Pinot Noir to have with or without food. By far the best Pinot I had in Oregon. Sheila Nicholas has definitely earned her name “ Queen of Oregon Pinot .“
I need to send special thanks to a group of twitter friends who helped in my journey to taste that perfect Oregon Pinot Noir. With only a couple days to taste and a limited amount of wineries to visit they definitely steered me in the right direction! Thank You so much for all of your recommendations it was so very much appreciated! Jack @NWwines, Clive @clivity, Tom @WineTom, Tamara @Sipwithme, Beau @UCBeau, Karin @KarinMcKercher. Last but not least a huge thank you to my wonderful mother who accompanied me on my journey and put up with traveling with me for four days, but I know she had fun and we have some great memories!

Cana’s Feast

2008 Montagna Rossa

Super Tuscan

$30.00 a bottle

I woke up that Saturday morning on my second day in Oregon wine country very excited to visit the last two winery stops on my list. I was also very excited because I was finally going to be able to meet two Northwest twitter friends in real life, Jack @NWwines and Tamara @Sipwithme. First stop that day was at Cana’s Feast in Carton, Oregon. I had so much Pinot the day before, I was very excited to try some heartier reds that I was told they would have. It was so great to meet both Jack and Tamara. Tamara who works at Cana’s Feast had everything open for us to taste. She also spoiled us with an incredible lunch at the wineries restaurant, Cucina which was excellent. It was so great to get to drink great wines, visit and enjoy an incredible lunch with them.

I did try the Pinot Noir first, which I did enjoy but quickly moved on to their Italian reds. If I had to pick one favorite Cana’s Feast wine, it would definitely be the 2008 Montagna Rossa. Their Super Tuscan blend that Tamara was so generous in sending me home with. This wine is a blend of 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese Grosso all from the Columbia Valley, Washington.
This wine had nice aroma’s of slight floral, raspberry, and blackberry. First tasting the fruit, raspberry and blackberry. Finishing very earthy of cedar and soil with a slight creaminess. Once this wine had a chance to really open up it became incredibly smooth. This wine would definitely be great with rich foods that would intensify all it’s flavors. I really enjoyed tasting all Cana’s Feast great reds that day. I also owe Tamara @Sipwithme a huge thank you for such a great experience that Saturday! Cana’s Feast a definite must stop in Oregon wine country! Now only one more Oregon stop on my list, Anam Cara.............

Dobbes Family Estate

2008 Pinot Noir

Skipper’s Cuvee

$38.00 a bottle

So off to my second winery stop on my Oregon Pinot venture in the Willamette Valley. Another winery that came highly recommended was Dobbes Family Estate in Dundee Oregon. I was very impressed with the winery and their staff. Dobbes Winery grounds were very pretty, even featuring a beautiful Zen garden with a small flowing creek. Jessica behind the tasting bar was over the top in welcoming me and extremely informative. She definitely wanted to make sure I tried everything. I tasted a lot of great wines in their winery that afternoon but I found this 08 Skipper’s Cuvee Pinot pretty incredible. Skipper’s Cuvee is a blend of Pinot Noir grapes that come from the Rogue Valley and spend ten months in french oak. I found this Pinot rich with fruit, very smooth, with a velvety finish. Skipper’s Cuvee is extremely fragrant with huge aromas of fruit. Scents of strong black cherry and spice with a hint of cinnamon. Tasting first strong cherry, light raspberry, and cola. Finishing with a splash of oak, making this blend perfect. Out of all my favorite Pinots on my trip this Skipper’s Cuvee had the biggest tasting fruit. Oregon Pinots again shocking me because I have only ever been a fan of hearty earthy Pinots from the Russian River Valley. My second stop that day was yet another great success in finding another great Oregon Pinot. Off to my third stop on my list.

Domaine Serene

2007 Pinot Noir

Dundee Hills

$75.00 a bottle

The third winery stop for Pinot that afternoon was definitely the fanciest winery I visited in Oregon on my trip. Domaine Serene rests high on a hillside over looking the Valley. The winery and its views were pretty breathtaking. I was lucky enough that day to have a view with a little sun. A roaring fire welcomed me in the tasting room when I arrived. This winery was pretty over the top, so was one Pinot there that I fell in love with.

This 2007 Domain Serene “Fleur de Lis” Pinot Noir comes from the Evenstand Estate Vineyard which rests atop Dundee Hills, Oregon. Evenstand Estate Vineyard is 4 acres of Pinot Noir grapes that rests at an elevation of 720-740 feet. This Pinot is extremely elegant and has the longest finish of all the Pinots I tried on my trip. A very structured, silky, and smooth Pinot. Aromas of musty dark cherry and leather. Tasting light on fruit with slight cherry and spice but finishing with a creamy mushroom earthiness that definitely lingers. This Pinot has an awesome creamy finish by far my favorite part of this wine. I was now three for three on my list of Oregon Pinot stops. Off to winery four.

Archery Summit

2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Premier Cuvee

$48.00 a bottle

My fourth stop that day in the Willamette Valley was at Archery Summit Winery. This winery also came highly recommended to me. This winery calls themselves the “Rolls-Royce” of Oregon Pinot Noir, of coarse making me very curious if they would live up to their name. Again I was very impressed with the winery and their staff. Amber behind the tasting bar was extremely welcoming and made sure I tried everything. Really there was not a Pinot there I didn’t like! Out of all their great Pinots, their Pinot blend, 07 Premier Cuvee was my favorite. This Premier Cuvee is a blend of 100% Pinot Noir, is made from their oldest vines from their Estate Vineyard and aged 10 months in French oak. The aromas of this wine are of dark cherry, dried apricots, and mushroom. First tasting very light fruit of smokey cherry and cigar. Then finishing with light cream and spice. This 07 Premier Cuvee is full of flavors. I stopped at a few other wineries that day and tasted more Pinots but I decided this Archery Summit Pinot was my favorite that day. Nothing else that Friday afternoon topped it for me. This was the most structured and complex Pinot I had that Friday afternoon. With my first day of tasting Pinot on my trip done, I was extremely impressed with Oregon Pinots. This left me very excited to see what my Saturday tasting had in store for me. Only two more Pinot stops to make the next day, Anam Cara and Cana’s Feast. To be continued.................

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..................

kimmel 1

Kimmel Vineyards

2007 Mendocino County

Merlot

$42.00 a bottle

My last review I tasted the Kimmel Vineyards 2008 Chardonnay which was very impressive. I was also given their 2007 Merlot to try. I usually don't purchase Merlots only because they always seem to be missing something for me, not very structured but this 2007 Kimmel Merlot was big and complex and drank like a Cabernet. One of the few Merlots that I really like. Kimmel Vineyards is located in Potter Valley, Mendocino County, CA. The Kimmel family first planted their grapes in 1986. Their ranch produces over 40 acres of grapes with only 9 hillside acres being Merlot. The Winemaker is Bruce Regalia who was the founding winemaker of Goldeneye in 1996 with Dan Duckhorn of Duckhorn Vineyards. This Kimmel Merlot is is a blend of 94% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Sauvginon, 2% Cabernet Franc that is placed in a combination of new and used French Oak barrels for 22 months. This Merlot is hearty and full of structure. Has aroma's of dark fruit, slight licorice and leather. First tasting strong dark cherry, light plum, and creamy vanilla. Finishing with a very light creamy oak barrel taste. I must say this Merlot is super good, once opened there were no leftovers. If you are a Merlot and even a Cabernet lover you must try this wine. Kimmel Vineyards Merlot won a gold medal at the 2010 San Francisco International Wine Competition. www.facebook.com/kimmelvineyards

Kimmel Vineyards

2008 Mendocino County

Chardonnay

$32.00 a bottle

I was just recently given two bottles of Kimmel Vineyards wines to taste and review. Having a crab dinner the other night gave a good excuse to open a bottle of Chardonnay. Now being primarily a red wine drinker there are still times when you need a good Chardonnay and Kimmel Vineyards ‘08 Chardonnay did not disappoint. Kimmel Vineyards is located in Potter Valley California in Mendocino County. The Kimmel family first planted grapes in 1986. Their family ranch produces over 40 acres of grapes. Their ranch has 25 acres of Chardonnay, 9 acres of Merlot, 1 acre of Sauvignon Blanc, 1 acre of Cabernet Sauvignon, ⅓ acre of Cab Franc, ⅓ acre of Petite Verdot, ⅓ acre of Malbec. Kimmel Vineyards winemaker is Bruce Regalia who was the founding winemaker of Goldeneye with Dan Duckhorn. This ‘08 Chardonnay is great in the fact you can taste lots of fruit but still has a very light oak finish. Strong aroma’s of green apple and a light scent of vanilla. First tasting crisp green apple, light pear, and a touch of apricot. This Chardonnay finishes with a very light creamy oak. I really enjoyed this Chardonnay! Love the families motto “Our Passions....Great Wines, Family, Friends and the Land.” I can tell drinking this wine that this is definitely the Kimmel family passion. Can’t wait to try their Merlot next, which has won awards!

Robert Young

2005 Alexander Valley

Scion

Cabernet Sauvignon

$58.00 a bottle

I have always been a huge fan of Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon’s. So I felt it only fitting to blog about Robert Young’s Cabernet Sauvignon since he was the first to plant this grape in the Alexander Valley back in 1963. Robert Young Estate Winery is located in the small town of Geyserville, CA. in the heart of Alexander Valley.

A Photo I took of Cabernet grapes at
Robert Young Estates back in Sept. '06

All estate grown grapes and aged in 100% French oak barrel’s. This 2005 Scion Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 85% Cabernet, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Now usually my favorite Cabernet’s are very earthy and hardy that would compliment a great steak but this Cabernet is great to drink on it’s own. Robert Young’s Scion Cabernet is not hardy and earthy. This Cabernet is elegantly full of fruit, complex and rich with structure. Great aroma’s of dark berries with a hint of ceder. First tasting strong black berries, light cherry and plum. This wine finishes with a taste of smooth creamy vanilla and spice, giving this wine a wonderful lingering finish. I really like this Cabernet because there are so many parts to it. I love that I can drink a Cabernet that is so structured and complex on it’s own without needing food to pair with it. This Cabernet Sauvignon comes very highly recommended. In August of 2010 Wine Enthusiast gave this wine 93 points.