Notes from a tasting of Pinot Noirs from Oregon - Thursday, July 14, 2005, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty wines were poured for a tasting fee of $28.

Overall impressions: finally, instead of mixing a few Oregon wines into a California Pinot tasting, here was a chance to taste Oregon Pinot Noir along with their bretheren. I thought coming off a recent Brugundy tasting might have prepared me for this step across the border into Oregon with its reputedly damp earthy-scented Pinots, but I have to admit at being a bit surprised at just how earthy they can be.

Toto, we're not in California anymore.
Initially, these scents can be unappealing, but given a little time, you learn to delve deeper into the nose for the nuances and the plentiful fruit just below the surface. The whole process of really getting into the glass reminded me of a scene in The Big Lebowski, where Jeff Bridges' head is being shoved into a toilet by bad guys to make him surrender something he doesn't have. "Where is it, where is it," the bad guys keep asking, while threatening to kill him. "Give me one more chance," Jeff says, "I know it's down here somewhere."

On to the wines: the Penner Ash Willamette was my hands-down favorite, followed by the Willakenzie Pierre Leon, the Broadley Bergstrom, and the Domaine Serene Yamhill. The Willakenzie Emery and Siduri Shaw Mtn rounded out my favorites. I must have like the Willakenzie style the best, given that both made my top 5 wines.

2003 White Rose Nekaia Pinot Noir. $14.99. Medium ruby color. Somewhat sweet nose, with aromas of black cherry, light vanilla and a bit of earth. Slightly tart cherry fruit, good balance, bit of heat on the moderate finish. Enjoyable little wine, that's not trying to be more than it can.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

2003 Ponzi Pinot Noir Tavola. $14.99. Medium dark ruby color. Very funky nose of damp earth, stems, and light cherry aromas. There's fruit in there, but you'll have to dig to the bottom of grandma's cedar chest to find it. However, there's a nice core of slightly bitter fruit on the palate, good balance, and a trace of heat on the moderately long finish.
Aroma score: B- Taste score: B Overall score: B

2003 Argyle Pinot Noir. $14.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Nice floral and vanilla-scented sweet black cherry nose. less sweet in mouthfeel, with dark cherry fruit, very good balance, and smooth medium-long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2002 Belle Pente Pinot Noir. $16.99. Medium ruby color. Nose of dark and light cherry, with a touch of strawberry and orange zest. Slightly off-sweet mouthfeel, very nice fruit - sort of a burgundy cherry, very good balance, and nice long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2003 Broadley Pinot Noir Willamette. $15.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Extremely earthy - bordering on corked, with remnants of wet moldy earth, stems, and raw oak blanketing the remaining cherry fruit. Slightly bitter in mouthfeel, with moderate cherry fruit, lots of stems and a medium-long finish. I felt this wine was corked, but the staff doing the pouring disagreed.
Aroma score: C- Taste score: B- Overall score: C

2002 Chehalem Pinot Noir 3 Vineyard. $17.99. Medium ruby color. Nose of candy apple coating, and cinnamon-spiced dark cherry. Lots of dark cherry fruit, with a hint of blackraspberry and brandied cherry, very nice balance and long finish, that shows just a touch of heat.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2003 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir. $18.99. Medium ruby color. Nice hint of earth, herb, and spiced tea add compliment the dark cherry fruit. Good core of dark cherry fruit, and good balance, but the mouthfeel seems a bit hot throughout the latter palate and otherwise long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

2002 Andrew Rich Pinot Noir. $22.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Ripe, slightly burnished nose of dark cherry fruit, with plenty of spice and a touch of tea and sweet-sour candy. Delicious taste and mouthfeel, nice lightly sweet fruit, very good balance and nice long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2003 Ponzi Pinot Noir. $24.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Faintly earthy almost cab franc-like scent, mingles with ripe bing and black cherry, and a dose of cinnamon. Good flavors and balance, juicy acids, and nice finish. Significantly better than their Tavola bottling.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2003 Lemelson Pinot Noir Thea's Selection. $23.99. Dark ruby color. Nose of ripe dark cherry and earth, with background notes of vanilla and (surprisingly) chocolate. Sweet-sour mouthfeel, good fruit, traces of toast and a bit of oak, good balance and long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2002 Willakenzie Pinot Noir - Pierre Leon Vnyd. $25.99. Medium dark ruby color. Lovely floral-infused nose of strawberry and black cherry, with notes of orange blossom tea, baked bread and a little earthiness. Very flavorful cherry fruit, with a touch of rhubarb, very good balance, and smooth moderately long finish. Nice stuff!
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

2003 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Yamhill Cuvee. $26.99. Medium dark ruby color. Slightly pungent nose of black cherry and black berry, with lighter touches of earth and a hint minerals. Off-sweet mouthfeel, very juicy on the palate, well packed with fruit, nice balance and finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

2002 Belle Pente Pinot Noir - Belle Pente Vnyd. $27.99. Medium ruby color. Nose of strawberry, cherry, and orange spiced tea. Ripe and lightly burnished strawberry flavors, with touches of tea, spice and dried leaf, good balance and nice finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2001 Siduri Pinot Noir - Shaw Mtn Vnyd. $29.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Slightly burnished and sweaty in the nose, with a light floral note to the dark cherry fruit. Semi-sweet initially in mouthfeel, gets a bit more sweet-sour by mid-palate, with very juicy acids, nice cherry flavors very good balance and long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

2003 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Premier Cuvee. $29.99. Very dark ruby color. Rich and concentrated nose, with lots of dark fruit compote, and hints of vanilla and toast. Slightly sweet, rich and chewy in mouthfeel, with nice balance. Some obvious oak comes on at mid-palate, masking the otherwise forward fruit through the long finish. I imagine this would resolve with some time.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2002 Christom Pinot Noir Reserve. $31.99. Medium ruby color. Very earthy nose, with aromas of cherry and orange zest, and a restrained moth-ball scent in the background. The palate seemed to mirror the nose, with loamy and earthy flavors to the dark cherry fruit. Very good balance and long finish. This seemed a little disjointed to me, and I was expecting a better showing for this wine. More time in bottle might help.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2003 Willakenzie Pinot Noir Emery. $31.99. Medium ruby color. Slightly sweet nose of strawberry, orange tea, and bing cherry. Elegant yet rich in mouthfeel, lots of very nice sweet-sour cherry fruit and spice, excellent balance and long fruit-filled finish. Really nice!
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

2003 Sineann Pinot Noir - Whistling Ridge Vnyd. $32.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Moderate nose of cherry fruit, with a touch of cloyingly sweet vanilla in the background. Sweet ripe mouthfeel, good balance through mid-palate, but the fruit seems to fall off at this point, tapering softly through the otherwise long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2003 Penner Ash Willamette. $34.99. Dark ruby color. Nice dollop of everything in the nose this wine - dark fruit, clove and other spices, light toast, hints of earth and loam. Off-sweet mouthfeel, lots of nicely ripened dark cherry fruit, excellent balance, and beautifully seamless finish. Lovely!
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

2003 Broadley Pinot Noir - Bergstrom Vnyd. $39.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Nose of black cherry, green tea, and sweet loamy damp earth. Trace of oak in the sweet-sour flavors, loads of fruit, excellent balance and very long fruit-filled finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-