Domaine Serene 2007 Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir

The Winery:  Domaine Serene
The Wine:  2007 Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir
The Price:  $36 at Jack Cellars

Domaine Serene is an Oregon winery, located Yamhill County, prime Pinot Noir territory.  The winery was founded in 1989, with the vineyards being planted on (then) recently logged forest land in the Dundee Hills.

The wine is dark ruby in color.  The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted 45 minutes prior to tasting. 

The wine has aromas of cherries, roses, vanilla and chocolate. 

This is a fruit-forward wine with a bit of a spicy kick.  It has flavors of cherry, blackberry, pepper, vanilla and cranberry.  It is a very complex and rich wine, with a lot of wonderful flavors bursting through. 

This is a very good example of an Oregon Pinot Noir, but one crafted in the Burgundy style.  It is a medium bodied, fruity, delicious wine.  It is definitely a wine worth trying! 

Rex Hill 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

The Winery: Rex Hill
The Wine: 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The Price:  $25 at Jack Cellars

This past weekend I went to Pinot Palooza at Jack Cellars.  They were pouring a great selection of Pinot Noir from Oregon, California and even a nice wine from Burgundy.  This review is a result of the event.

I am originally from Oregon, so Oregon Pinots have a special place in my heart.  The roots of my love for wine are firmly planted in Oregon.  I spent many weekends driving through wine country sampling wines.  Some wineries have consistently produced great wines.  Other wineries have folded or just stopped producing great wine.  When I was new to drinking wine, Rex Hill was always a favorite stop on my tours through Oregon's wine country.  My last few trips to Rex Hill had been enough of a disappointment that I'd given up on them.

It turns out that Rex Hill had changed hands a couple of times over the years.  The new owners didn't have the passion and skill to make the great wines that Oregon is known for.  The good news is that back in 2007, A to Z Wineworks purchased Rex Hill and is working on bringing them back to their former glory.

The 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is medium dark red in color.  The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine has aromas of cherries and plums.  It has a strong cherry base with an undertone of berries and plums.  This is a lighter Pinot Noir, but is very good.  At $25 it is an absolute steal!

I'm happy to see Rex Hill again in good hands and making good wine!  I look forward to seeing where they go from here!

Ghost Pines 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery: Ghost Pines
The Wine:  2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price:   $16.99 at QFC (marked down from $24.99)

Ghost Pines is a California winery that was founded in 1964 by Louis P. Martini (son of Louis M. Martini, who started making wine in Napa Valley in the early 1900s). 

This wine is made from 59% Napa County grapes, and 41% Sonoma County grapes.  The wine is very deep red in color.  The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine has aromas of blackberry, cherry and vanilla.  It's a very big, fruity wine with flavors of cherry and berry and sweet vanilla, with a very mildly spicy finish.  It's a very drinkable wine, with a lot of fruit flavor without being overly sweet.  

Three Thieves 2007 The Show Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery: Three Thieves
The Wine:  2007 The Show Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price:  $11.99 at QFC (marked down from $16.99)

The Show is made from grapes from three separate California AVAs:  Central Coast, North Coast and Napa Valley.  The wine is made from 89% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, and 11% Petite Syrah.  It is aged in French and American oak barrels.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted a bit beyond an hour before tasting.

The wine is deep ruby in color; and has aromas of black cherry, vanilla and pepper. 

The wine has big, fruity cherry and vanilla flavors with a pepper finish.  It's a very delicious wine.  I absolutely love it!  This is a must-buy wine!