Tag Archives: Pinot Noir

Drouhin’s Oregon Pinot Noir One of Very Best

28 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in Oregon

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The Oregon Vineyards of Domaine Drouhin

Most wine drinkers have a bottle or two – or many – stashed away for a special occasion. While much can be said for popping one open on a Tuesday night just because you ARE special, we do tend to squirrel them away with a purpose.

I had such a purpose this week for a friend who will be moving out of town for a year. Patrick is my best wine buddy. We normally taste something at least once a week so he will be missed.

In Patrick’s honor I went to the storage system and snooped around and decided on a Domaine Drouhin 07 Laurene Pinot Noir. I picked this up in the summer of 2011 while visiting the Willamette Valley and the gorgeous Drouhin winery.

Here are some photos from that day in the valley. Photos include stops at Domaine Serene, Winderlea, and Sokol Blosser, three more great Oregon wineries

Simply put, the Laurene was one of the best Oregon Pinots I’ve ever enjoyed. I think Patrick might agree. The 07 Oregon vintage has gotten a lot of press for its up and down quality as its aged. But tasting the 07 wines last year was a real job. I was actually in Oregon when most of the 07 vintage was released and there wasn’t much to like, though I didn’t visit Drouhin.

Last summer the 07 Pinot Noir really came to life. The 07 Laurene is Domaine Drouhin’s top bottling. It doesn’t come cheap at $75 a bottle, though I did find it as low as $57 on the internet.

The wine had wonderful complex fruit much more pronounced that some wines of any vintage. There was lovely dark cherry but with a bright freshness you only get in the best Pinot wines. It had strong but well-balanced acid which would have been perfect for some sockeye salmon or steelhead trout. But when I open a Pinot of this quality I just want to sip it. Maybe a little matching chocolate with this Pinot but it should be savored.

I didn’t even have to look to guess the critics liked this wine, but I did. Josh Reynolds of Tanzer gave it 90 points. “Brisk, finely etched red fruit flavors carry no excess weight and gain intensity with air. The lingering finish echoes the strawberry and blood orange notes.” That geeky enough for you?

Robert Parker scored the wine 91 points, Wine Spectator agreed with the 91 score, and the Burghound jumped it up to 93 points.

Again, the price point will scare off many and I understand that. But this is a great example of you get what you pay for.

Domaine Drouhin 2007, SRP $75, Very Highly Recommended


Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Vidon One of Oregon’s Great Boutique Wineries

23 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by in Oregon, Uncategorized

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A few weeks back I started posting a few of the individual videos I had shot while in Oregon last summer.

Don Hagge .. Apollo Engineer and now a winemaker.

These were videos I shot for a full Oregon feature for a national online site that didn’t pan out. I wrote several pieces about my visits, the winemakers, the region, and the wine. But the videos sat untouched until earlier this year.

I have two more and should have gotten them up by now. These two are arguably the most interesting stops of my four days in the Willamette Valley.

First up today is Don Hagge of Vidon Vineyards. I wrote about meeting Don the day we met him. He has such an interesting background story that I mention in that blog post. He also makes some of the most fabulous Pinot Noir you’ll sample in the valley.

What really got us on our trip is we asked at two or three different wineries what spot we should visit not on our agenda. Nearly everyone, knowing we were seeking small boutique wineries, said we just had to go see Don.

The video is most unedited – just clipped at the beginning and end. It gives you more of a feel for being there and chatting with the winemaker.


Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Dynamite Under-$20 Pinot Noir & More

20 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in California, Napa/Sonoma, Oregon

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The wine geeks among us have many quests. One such quest is usually to find a really good under 420 Pinot Noir. They’re really hard to find and can be inconsistent from vintage to vintage.

After a few thoughts on my Pinot find how about more Pinot?

Gauthier Sonoma Coast 2008 Pinot Noir – Simply put, the Gauthier is one of the best under-$20 Pinots I have ever found.

It had really nice red berry fruit, a smooth, smoke, spice and a balanced feel in the mouth and moderate acidity. Pinot at the price point isn’t always a true representation of the grape but this one sure was. It even had a richness in flavor.

All too often $15 Pinot, give or take a couple bucks, can be flat, acidic, or tasteless. The Gauthier is none of those things.

Now a caveat, I picked this wine up on clearance for about $17 but it does normally retail for near $30. So perhaps this review should have an asterik.

But if you get to know your wine retailer, the proprietor is going to point out these great deals to their best customers.

Gauthier Sonoma Coast 2008 Pinot Noir, $17-$29, Highly Recommended.

Acrobat 2011 Oregon Rose of Pinot Noir – At the start of each summer I go on a Rose binge. I have explored Rose from different countries and different grapes since I got into the wine writing.

Unfortunately, too many people still see pinkish or off colored wine and think of white zinfandel. There is no better summer sipper than dry Rose.

I’m partial to the Provence region of France and their really great salmon-colored Rose. But I still like exploring. There is a lot of Rose made from Pinot. The Acrobat comes from critic favorite King Estate Winery in Orgeon.

The Rose is a bit darker than many but really packs a dry strawberry/cherry punch. It certainly has a bigger fruit component and bigger flavor than many Rose wines. But I liked the balance and bigger flavor. It held up to chocolate and salmon off the grill.

Acrobat Rose is pretty easy to find and generally $14-$15.

Acrobat 2011 Oregon Rose of Pinot Noir, SRP $15.00, Recommended.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com