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.

Phillips Hill Estates

2008 Beeson Tree

Anderson Valley

Pinot Noir

$40.00 a bottle

I took a trip last weekend to the Anderson Valley to try some of their great Pinot Noir’s. I was on a quest to find an awesome Pinot for my next blog. Truthfully it wasn’t hard to do nor did it take long. I tasted and loved a lot of great Pinot’s that day. One Pinot Noir did happen to stand out a little more than the others, Phillips Hill 2008. Phillip Hill Estates tasting room is located in the very tiny town of Philo, California. I was very excited to meet and taste that day with the winemaker and owner Toby Hill. I always love when I get the chance to meet the winemaker and hear them talk about their love for making wine. As Toby said that day as we chatted and sipped his Pinot, he considers himself an artist and I definitely would not disagree with that
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This incredible 2008 Beeson Tree Pinot is a blend of three vineyards, 37% Toulouse Vineyard, 37.5% Corby Vineyard, and 25% Oppenlander Vineyard. The garnet red color of this wine is beautiful. Very earthy aroma’s with a slight sent of smokiness. This silky Pinot first tastes of dried cranberries, cherries, and slight raspberry. Has a lingering finish of licorice and smokey oak. By far one of the most complex Pinot’s I’ve tried. Definitely a must try Pinot! This 2008 Pinot was Editor’s Choice in Wine Enthusiast and received 92 points. It also has won a double gold at the 2010 San Francisco Wine Competition. San Francisco Chronicle also voted Phillips Hill Estate the 2010 best Anderson Valley winery.

Owl Ridge

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

Bridgden Vineyard

$55.00 a bottle

With my true wine passion being for Cabernet Sauvignon, I wanted to start off the new year with my first wine blog about an incredible one I came across a few years ago. I first tasted this Cabernet at our local Sonoma County Harvest Fair and I was extremely impressed. Just recently I was lucky enough to discover this bottle of wine again at a local wine shop. The 2003 Owl Ridge Cabernet’s grape’s come from the Bridgden Vineyards which is located in the hills between Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley’s Spring Mountain. Owl Ridge Cabernet is aged for almost two years in French oak. This 2003 Cabernet is extremely big and complex. The aromas of this wine are of dark berries and cherries. Tasting first of huge black berries and dry cherries. Then finishing with a very creamy, smooth, oaky wood finish. What makes this wine so incredible to me is the lingering long lasting finish that is so complex with flavors. This is definitely the best part of this Cabernet. The 2003 Owl Ridge Cabernet was given 93 points by Wine Enthusiast. In addition it won a gold metal at the 2006 San Francisco International Wine Competition and another gold metal at the 2007 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. Owl Ridge has won a total of 18 gold metals two of which were best of class. You can taste their wines in their tasting room located in Healdsburg, CA at Old Roma Station. This Owl Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely on my list of favorite Cabernet’s.