Sunday, February 24, 2008

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2006 Pinot Gris

The Winery: Willamette Valley Vineyards
The Wine: 2006 Pinot Gris
The Price: I didn't note the price when I purchased it. The winery is offering it on their website for $15.00

I selected this wine tonight because I've been in the mood for a Pinot Gris. I'm having salmon for dinner tonight, and thought this would be a great pairing.

This is a light, refreshing wine. It has a bright floral aroma. The wine has flavors of pear and apple, with an extremely mild pepper finish. This is a very , very good wine from a winery that I am not familiar with. I will definitely be looking for other wines from this vineyard.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Angeline 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir

The Winery: Angeline
The Wine: 2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
The Price: $12.95

Angeline Winery is located in Santa Rosa California. This is a new winery to me. I had never before seen any wines from this particular winery.

The 2006 Pinot Noir is a very nice wine. It is a medium-intensity burgandy in color. The wine is a very friendly Pinot Noir. It has a delightful cherry flavor, with a very, very slight pepper taste. It is an excellent wine at a decent price. I would recommend this wine without any reservation. It pairs very nicely with steak, and would also go well with pasta dishes.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

August Cellars 2004 Pinot Noir

The Winery: August Cellars
The Wine: 2004 Pinot Noir
The Price: $18 at their tasting room and online.

This is a newer vintage of the wine I reviewed last week (which was the 2003 Pinot Noir). Like last week's wine, this was one of the wines I purchased during my recent trip through the Willamette Valley.

The 2004 Pinot Noir is less deeply colored than the 2003. The 2003 had quite a bit of sediment in the bottle, which is not present in the 2004. The 2004 Pinot Noir has a smoky smell to it. It also has a strong smoky flavor, which I have never encountered in a Pinot Noir before. The smoke flavor is followed by a currant and red cherry. This is good wine, but I would tire of the smoke flavor pretty quickly. It's something I would enjoy one or twice a year, but not much more than that. It would probably go well with smoked salmon, and may also serve to dress up a BBQ hamburger meal.