2014 Domaine Serene Aspect PInot Noir

Domaine Serene Aspect is a blend of three celebrated vineyards from the estate. The 2014 is the inaugural bottling to celebrate the estate's 25th anniversary. I visited the estate in 2016 and it is a beautiful winery. Do a reserve tasting if you can with matched food. A wonderful experience.

The bottle itself is very nice, etched with views of each of the three vineyards.

This wine starts with black cherry and strawberry with a hint of peat moss. Very strong right out of the gate. The wine is dark for a pinot, a rich dark burgundy hue. The first taste gives a very rich cherry burst. It is very rich and luscious with a butter like mouth feel. It has a very nice long finish which continues to bring the fruit.

 I rate this a 94. If you like the deeper richer style of Pinot, this is a wine that you would definitely enjoy. Also, if you can get to the Willamette Valley to visit some of the wineries there, Domaine Serene is not to be missed. There are many other very nice places to visit as well.


WR

2010 Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Patz & Hall has a wide range of special vineyard Pinot Noir's. They started the winery for the purpose of making distinct wines from individual vineyards and emphasizing the terrior of the individual locations. They make a range of Pinot Noirs and Chardonays from Sonoma area vineyards. The Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is not vineyard specific, but year in and year out it is a very good representation of what a Pinot Noir should be. They typically make a bolder version of the wine, with more fruit and texture than the classic Burgundy style, but from time to time they have some very nice understated and I suspect enjoyably long live offerings.

 This particular wine is not single vineyard unique, but instead made from several different vineyards. The color is dark with a rose tinge. The nose is vibrant with fruit and citrus flavors. There is also a Cinnamon spice element. The wine is crisp with acid, but pleasantly balanced with a lovely burst of fruit and long smooth textured finish with just the right bite from the tannin at the end.

WS 92 RP not rated.

I have to say that I have never been disappointing with a Patz & Hall wine. The makers obviously take great pride in delivering a quality offering each with each and every wine the bottle. That attention to detail and focus is something to admire.

WR

2006 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Precious Mountain

Lovely nose of berries and cherries with a hint of spice. Reserved flavor of berries in the mouth, some dusty earth and a fine structured finish. This is a very well made wine and I have had enough of the Williams Selyem Pinots over the last year to taste a distinct style. It is more french in style. There is more structure, a bit more acid, but still typically sweet fruit. The wines go well with food, tonight in my case a simple tortilla soup and biscuits. These wines often have an almost perfume like nose of fruit. This one was a bit more forward on the nose and laid back a bit while drinking. Nonetheless, this is a well made and enjoyable Pinot Noir. Pricing on these is a bit of a challenge. They are pretty much all on allocation and so prices are naturally quite high. So for me, this kind of a wine would be for a treat, and it lives up to that challenge comfortably.



Williams Selyem is a noted producer of in particular Russian River Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. The winery tasting notes are here.

WR

2005 Block No. 45 Pinot Noir

This is an inexpensive pinot from California. It appears to be from the central coast, but the bottle does not say where the grapes were grown. It was fine. Nothing special, don't go looking for it. If you are served it at some social event, it will be more than drinkable, but you would not go out of your way to say, wow, I need the name of that wine.

No winery to link to and no place to find the label. Sorry.

WR

2004 Argyle Pinot Noir Nuthouse

This is a silky, black fruit, berry mostly, very long finishing Pinot. Great tasting fruit. It would be great with a lamb, or even a bit of spicy sausage. I have been drinking Oregon Pinot Noirs for awhile now. They are not every day for me as the price points, like this one tend to be over $30. This one was $42 or so at Safeway with the 10% half case discount. The good ones tend to be in the under $50 price point, rather than the under $30 price point that you can find for the California Pinot from Sonoma or Santa Barbara area.

Link to Argyle Winery online. Picture is of the 2005, but 2004 looks the same.

Back in awhile.

leh

2006 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Russian River

What a nice refined pinot. This wine is not the dark cherry type but rather the lighter, almost pale style that you often find in French Burgundy pinots. The flavor is nearly sweet, but the acid and light tannins give it a complete and refined finish with a wonderful understated berry, cherry flavor. California has been moving in the direction of the much fully pinot, which is a style that I enjoy as well. But it is nice to have the contrast with a very well crafted wine that really hits the tongue with defined but not overpowering flavor. Really nicely put together. I have a bottle of one of the other vineyards, which I tried one of a month or so back and it is the more full flavored, equally enjoyable.

Bought from a friend on their list for about $40, I think.

Back in awhile.

leh