Dundee Hills

This is from the famed Burgundy producer's Oregon outpost.  This seems to be more full throttle than prior vintages but will no doubt calm down with some age.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has fresh cherries, black cherries and slight pomegranate.  There is also a bit of spice and a hint of tea.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this has a lot of cherries, some black cherries with a hint of underlying forest floor.  Delicious.  Light tannins.  This needs another three to five years to get closer to peak, and should drink well for ten to fifteen more after tha

From the idiosyncratic wine maker John Thomas.  While 2008 is considered a great vintage in the Willamette Valley, it was ripe and not really up John's wheelhouse, yet, he adapted and made a wine consistent with his style and taking what the vintage offered.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, slight Kirsch and just a hint of spice.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, big cherry fruit with underlying spice.  13.5% abv.  There are also firm tannins, not something you get much with Pinot Noir.  It was be interesting to let the tannins resolve and there is pl

This is in a good place right now and drinking well.   Deep ruby in color.  The nose is tight at first but with air shows cherries, sour cherries and an underlying earthiness.  Good balance.  Lively acidity.  On the palate, the sour cherries dominate but the underlying earthiness is still present.  A nice complexity as the layers unwind in the glass.  Seems very clearly of Oregon.  Long finish.  This will go well with fowl dishes.  No hurry, it should easily do another decade and closer to two.  

A very nice Chardonnay from Oregon.  Light golden/yellow in color, just a hint of cloudiness.  The nose is big with a bit of oak/vanilla.  Nice red apples and a bit of lemon cream.  On the palate, this is a bit fat but enough acidity to make it work.  Apples and slight lemons.  Good finish.  This is terrific on it own, a bit more limited with food but would be great with sea food or lighter middle eastern foods.  While it won't get better, it still has five years (at least left).  

2007 in Oregon was a love it or hate it vintage.  The wines tended to be thinner and less ripe.  Whether this is good is up to the taster.  While I have had some lovely wines from that vintage, for the most part, it is not one of my favorite vintages.  Sineann tends to make bigger styled Pinots (on an Oregon scale), so it was interesting to see how this was drinking at 12 years from vintage.  For my tastes, this was not up to the usual level of enjoyment.  Ruby in color.  The nose has some cherry juice, a bit of spice and slight herbaceous quality.  On the palate, this is light bodied.  Lig

Very pale pink in color.  The nose is clean but lacking much fruit.  Very light cherries on the palate.  Light bodied.  This is probably well past its time as the fruit seems to have dropped out.  It would be good to try the 2017 for a comparison.  

Deep ruby in color.  The nose has nice sour cherries, some spice.  The palate matches the nose.  This is drinking well if not yet at maturity.  There is some complexity here as it opens in the glass.  Good with a wide variety of foods.  Not sure if it will improve but should continue to mature for at least another decade.