This wine is from the Willamette Valley of Oregon, one of the best regarded Pinot noir regions in the US, and is new to Anthony's wine menu. Apparently this region of Oregon is at the same latitude as the Burgundy region of France, which may account for how well these very difficult grapes grow and the success its winemakers have had.We have tried quite a few Pinot noirs lately and as always my first comment was 'grapey' or 'fruity'. To which Anthony scoffs. Rightly so, I suppose. I think it is a fairly light bodied wine, which is typical of Pinot noirs, and is fairly smooth, without a lot of spice or bite to it. Perhaps it is the cherry and red currant undertones that I taste. You are also supposed to sense violet and smoked meat and cedar, though I'm not sure that I got all of those. Pleasant but not particularly memorable? This may be more due to my mixed feelings about Pinot noirs in general than the merit of this particular wine.
Still, I did like the wine, and would drink it more often...were it not for the price. ;) Anthony thought highly of it - of course.
