Wine & Spirits - April 2017 - 108

YEAR'S BEST US PINOT NOIR
complex, with demonstrative tannins that
need food, like a bavette steak. (W&S 8/16) §
Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Dayton, OR
447760

91 | Domaine Drouhin

445418

91 | Chapter 24 Vineyards $60

2014 Willamette Valley Fire + Flood The
Fire Pinot Noir ^ Chapter 24's blend from
volcanic soils, this vintage of The Fire is
generous and warm, with a scent of brown
spices and cherry compote. The flavors are a
bit more oak-driven compared to the 2013,
given to cinnamon and cocoa flavors, which
lend weight but also weigh the wine down a
bit. Cellar for six months or more to let the
oak and fruit integrate. (W&S 10/16; 750
cases) § Chapter 24 Vineyards, Dundee, OR
447274

91 | Cristom

$60

2014 Eola-Amity Hills Louise Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ Scents of cedar and warm leather
suggest an oak-driven wine, but with air a
dark, mineral-inflected black plum flavor
comes to the fore, accented by savory stem
spice. Give this time in the cellar to knit, and
then serve with tea-smoked duck. (W&S
2/17; 894 cases) § Cristom Vineyards, Salem, OR
443047

91 | Cristom

$58

2013 Eola-Amity Hills Louise Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ Pretty and austere, this quiet
pinot has a core of fruit held at some remove
by its structure. The wine's acidity is elegant
and pleasing, framing dusty cranberry flavors and the whole-cluster breadth of the
texture. (W&S 6/16; 750 cases) § Cristom Vineyards, Salem, OR
444744

91 | Domaine Divio

$48

2012 Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir ^ From
a new winery based in Newberg, which is
purchasing fruit while waiting for its estate
vineyard to mature, this wine comes from
Zena Crown Vineyard on the southwest
side of the Eola-Amity Hills. Its firm, tense
structure yields an intriguing tanbark
spiciness adorning plum flavors. It's fresh
and attractive, lasting on a mineral note in
the finish. (W&S 8/16; 150 cases) § Domaine
Divio, Newberg, OR
444068

91 | Domaine Drouhin

$45

2014 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ^ There's a
wonderful purity of flavor in this vintage
of Domaine Drouhin's flagship wine, with
beguiling scents of earth and juicy plum.
With air, the wine becomes darker, more
108

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2017

$60

2014 Eola-Amity Hills Zéphirine Roserock Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Even in its youth,
this feels open and expressive, its bright
cherry fruit lined with a graham-cracker
sweetness of oak. The flavors are forward and
juicy, even a bit gaudy in their exuberance,
propelled by a vibrant acidity and mouthwatering length. § Domaine Drouhin Oregon,
Dundee, OR
445559

91 | Evening Land Vyds.

$40

2013 Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir ^ This
is lean and high-toned at first pass, giving
off scents of cranberry and strawberry, with
modest oak. With air, the oak seems to contribute a gripping, firm density, bringing the
wine both definition and length, and probably some longevity as well. For the cellar.
(W&S 10/16; 2,469 cases) § Evening Land Vineyards, Salem, OR
448238

91 | Eyrie

ness requires patience; for the cellar. (W&S
8/16; 82 cases) § The Eyrie Vineyards Winery,
McMinnville, OR

$60

2014 Dundee Hills Roland Green Pinot
Noir ^ The Roland Green vineyard, named for
Eyrie founder David Lett's father, is a southfacing five acres of the Pommard and Wadenswil clones. At first pass, this wine feels oakdriven, smelling more of caramel and wood
sap than of the red fruit that lies beneath.
With air, that gentle strawberry-scented red
fruit-virtually an Eyrie hallmark-comes
into view, and carries the wine, buoyed by a
soft acid glow. It just needs time for all this to
come together. Cellar it. (198 cases) § The Eyrie
Vyds. Winery, McMinnville, OR
444707

91 | Eyrie

$60

91 | Eyrie

$80

2013 Dundee Hills Roland Green Pinot
Noir ^ The 2013 Roland Green is impacted
when first poured. It has an intriguing acid
structure, however, which becomes gentler
over the course of several days. The wine
eventually comes into focus as a light, transparent and harmonious pinot: lifted, mineral
and refined. (W&S 8/16; 80 cases) § The Eyrie
Vineyards Winery, McMinnville, OR
444704
2013 Dundee Hills Daphne Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ Daphne is the highest parcel
on the Eyrie estate, topping out at 820 feet.
This cool, tobacco-y red took days to open
up, but when it did it was quietly satisfying, with luminous plum and black cherry
flavors piercing the rigid structural frame
that's a hallmark of Eyrie wines. The supple-

442164

91 | J. Christopher

$40

91 | Le Cadeau

$80

2013 Dundee Hills Dundee Hills Cuvée
Pinot Noir ^ The pure red-fruited drive of
Dundee Hills pinot comes through in this
fresh, generous 2013, lent complexity by
some pipe-tobacco spiciness and dusty
mineral flavor. It's simple, but irresistible.
For pork loin. (W&S 6/16; 527 cases) § Loosen
Christopher Wines, Newberg, OR
444296
2014 Chehalem Mountains Merci Reserve
Pinot Noir ^ This is brooding and spicy, with
dark scents of anise, licorice root and clove.
Still, the plummy core feels ripe, full flavored
and satisfying, supported by expensive, wellhandled oak. For duck breast. (W&S 8/16;
145 cases) § Le Cadeau Vineyard, Newberg, OR

448155

91 | Ponzi

$27

91 | Raptor Ridge

$30

2015 Willamette Valley Tavola Pinot
Noir (Best Buy) ^ Ponzi's table wine, Tavola,
has a prominent caramel scent of oak that
obscures its mint-edged freshness. It may
smell oak-forward, but it doesn't taste predominantly of oak; rather, it lasts on a tart
burst of red cherry flavor held in a pleasant
middleweight texture that overdelivers for
the price. § Ponzi Vineyards, Sherwood, OR
447551
2014 Willamette Valley Barrel Select
Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^ With its oak-spice
aromas and wood-enriched texture, this
feels like an old-school red. The wine's cherry
flavor drives through the oak on a tense line
of acidity, that tension suggesting that it's
not quite ready to drink. Lay it down for six
months or more before opening with roast
pork. § Raptor Ridge Winery, Newberg, OR
445767

http://www.chapter24vineyards.com/ http://www.jchristopherwines.com/dundee-hills-pinot-p/13dhc.htm http://shop.ponziwines.com/Ponzi/pinot/7015130100/2015_Ponzi_Tavola_Pinot_Noir

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - April 2017