On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 12:09:05 -0500, Mark Lipton
wrote:

Dale Williams wrote:

Some respected tasters opined here they had never really liked an Oregon Pinot
Noir. I really liked one last night.

Hmmm... Dunno if that was my post, but in case it was: it's not that I
haven't liked any Oregon Pinots; rather, I find the ones in my desired
price range ($30 per bottle) to be usually rather dull. I've had some
very good PNs from Oregon (Dom. Drouhin back in the '80s and early '90s
for instance), but typically in the $40 per bottle range, which IMO
forces the QPR question vis-a-vis what one can get from Burgundy at that
same price point. There are, however, notable exceptions to the
generalizations I've stated above.

2000 St. Innocent Temperance Hill
Pinot Noir. I remembered this as a light-bodied ON, but this has picked up some
body in the bottle. Earthy nose. Very attractive raspberry fruit, moderate
acidity balancing the sweetness of the fruit. Light cedar notes (label says 30%
new oak). Fresh and delighful. Really maybe the best under $20 Oregon Pinot
I've had. Why did I only get one!?!?A-/B+

Sounds like a winner. I'll have to hunt it down.

I've had some good experience with Oregon PNs, but must confess that I
seldom find them off-the-shelf at the local merchant. The mass market
OR stuff usually comes across to me as watery, and similar to cherry
Kool-Aid. But, there's some great dark, rich, full-blown OR PNs being
made. One place that has proven very reliable both for shipping and
shopping with a very informative web site has been Avalon Wine
(http://www.avalonwine.com/).

Their page offers a lot of profiles of OR (and WA) winemakers with
loads of information beyond basic pricing and availability. A couple
of wines that I've enjoyed were from Andrew Rich Winery. He offers a
number of varietals, but his PNs are the ones I've liked best. And,
strangely enough, his "Cuvee B" bottling appeals to me more than the
pricier top end line.

They will also tip you off on the Web site to second bottlings from
some premium producers which offer excellent QPR. One that worked for
me was Jezebel PN.

For off the shelf PN, I tend to go with Russian River or Carneros
producers and agree with both of you that the $20-$30 price point
takes a bit of work to find good stuff.

A recent discovery here has been Laurier Los Carneros, 2001 Pinot Noir
at $12.99. A bit lighter than I like but with a nice body, pleasant
warm berry nose and a smooth finish with a mouthful of dark cherry and
cassis. A nice wine that you don't hesitate to pull another cork for
an extra glass based on price.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
"Phantom Flights, Bangkok Nights"
Both from Smithsonian Books
***www.thunderchief.org