Chris, I’m not one of those people (wink, wink Bob) who’ll tell you you’re crazy to recommend the '06 vintage or Ken Wright. Personal taste and all that. '06 certainly produced some interesting wines. I still have a '97 from Ken Wright in the cellar, the Carter. But if someone’s into Burgundy, I think it’s more than reasonable to suggest that '07 is indeed a better vintage to get acquainted with Oregon pinot. For its strengths, '06 is so far afield from Burgundy and for that matter Oregon. It’s not so representative of our region, I don’t think. I recognize that '07 isn’t the huge success some people suggest it to be, and some people downright do not like it. But the perfume of the better wines and delicate balance and subtlty is really up a Burg lover’s alley. Seems fair to point someone there and, once established, recommend they venture out to the riper, more hulking wines that sometimes have more power than grace.
I agree with both Bob and Vincent. The 07 Oregon PNs are much closer to their Burgundian counter parts. I for one am one of those people who think the 07 vintage is austere, preferring the bigger 06’s, such as Raptor Ridge.
There is one wine you might try if you can find it, Firesteed’s Citation. I could be wrong, but I think the current release is 2000. The last one I tried had that “forest floor” earthiness that I used to think characterized the better Burgundies. Bob, Vincent, either of you tried this wine recently?
Years ago Montinore suffered from the problems of trying to save money in the vineyard. The new owners are of a much different ilk and are actively, and biodynamically, doing a fine job of crafting better and better wines each year.
Never even heard of that wine Randy, much less tried it. I do like that quality in good aged Oregon pinot though.
Hmmmm… it seems like the 06s would be the anti William wine. 06 is not my favorite vintage, especially because of the mouthfeel. Heavy round mid palates. If you like the 06 Oregons I would say you have a million wines to choose from. Just go to California.
Jason
Actually we have some 1995 Firesteed Citation, Randy isn’t up on our inventory 
It’s very old world & very interesting, you ever want to try one let me know & I’m happy to share.
- J.K. Carriere (avoid young wines - min 5 yrs)
I went long and it ain’t over.
William, stick with 05, 07 and probably 08.
RT
The generalities about 06 are true from my experience but that doesn’t mean William should boycott the entire vintage. On the whole I prefer 06 slightly to 07 but I like them both. For every flabby, over-ripe 06 I’ve tried there’s a lean, flavor-challenged 07.
Last night I had the Torii Mor Deux Verres Reserve 2006 and it is definitely not flabby or over-ripe. It was quite angular and earthy and in need of some time on its side. Brian’s Belle Pente 06s are big and fairly ripe but I don’t consider them over-the-top. Others that avoid excess include, for example, the Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvee Eola Hills and the Hamacher Willamette. On the other hand, the Ayoub Estate Dundee Hills is an example of a maple syrup 07.
Don’t paint with too broad a brush IMHO. (Bob, maybe that Holiday Inn Express was actually in McMinnville not Dundee!) 
What!!?
No love for Patty Green on this BB?
WTF?
I’m a PG lover. 
Any love for Le Cad or Prive?
FWIW- I popped a 06 Thomas a few months back. Gave is a ton of air and it is a killer killer wine…
-
2006 Thomas Pinot Noir Dundee Hills - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (8/26/2009)
93-94
This was decanted for 2 hours and enjoyed for an additional 2 hours.
Very red floral nose with bright cherries,sous bois,baking spice. Nose is deep,balanced,evolving.
Tastes of Cherries,raspberries,shrooms,lots of spices-Clove,red florals,with a tart cherry finish that
just stays with you. Elegant and balanced. I’m not a big fan of 06 in general but this is a stunner that
just kept evolving throughout the evening. Drink now + 5. (93 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
Perhaps only 0.75 - 1.0x “killer” IMHO but certainly among the most ready-to-go of his last several vintages.
RT
The gentleman said he wanted some variety, so I wanted to give him something other than fruitless PN from a thin vintage!
And if climate trends since 1998 hold, 2006 is way more typical than 2007. A bit soft to age well (06 sure ain’t 02) but lush and awfully darn pleasant in the short run.
Definitely some folks on here with 2007’s to sell!
I think 06 is kinda like 00 - now I wouldn’t want to hold on to these wines for a long time (or even until 2012), but someone opening them up now will do all right.
I haven’t had any of Patty’s 07’s, but I would think she might be able to succeed with the vintage in a way similar to Ken (as I believe they are stylistically similar winemakers). But I’ve had Ken’s and they are great.
But I had a lot of 07’s on my fall trip and I think they are generally pretty awful. BUT I have also been saying for quite a few years that Oregon also needed a crap vintage. There’s been so much easy fruit to work with that the “handmade” higher labor and cost producers have not been able to differentiate themselves very easily. Good weather hurts these folks when any idiot can make good wine. So I’d still taste some of the 07’s - because if you find someone who could make good wine with those grapes, you’ve found a winemaker to follow. ![[berserker.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8600bbd4810d342b8fbd4ffb62b4f0026275fd37.gif "berserker"){kind=small}
While we disagree on the styles of Pinots we like, I agree with this 100%. 2007 allowed wine makers with experience, knowledge, great sources, and a dedication to making great Pinot to stand out. The vintage separated the men from the boys (and the women from the girls).
As an example, several months ago John Paul told me that he thought that his 2007 Dundee Hills Pinot was the best of that level (ie, not vineyard designated) he’d ever made. After tasting it, I had to agree with him. And trust me, I’ve had just about every wine he’s ever made. Of course John has been making wine here for 25 years, has impeccable fruit sources, and is obsessed with making great wine. In a year like 2007 that stuff makes all the difference.
I’m glad somebody agrees with that sentiment. Every time I dropped that line to winemaker and winery owning friends out there, they’d run from the room screaming!
When you work with agriculture, you never want a bad year, I suppose.
I like spice too but in my opinion bell pepper and black pepper should stay in salad.
Teasing aside, I’m sure you will find many people here who will echo your sentiment. For myself, I like both old and new world flavor profiles – it really depends on my mood and what I’m eating. When it comes to wine, I do not believe one size fits all.
If you decide to venture outside of Oregon, you might consider the following California producers: Rhys, Antihill Farms, and Copain (2006 and later).
And welcome to the board!
I think that the thing that many wine makers find frustrating is that when a vintage gets trashed in the press, it doesn’t matter how good your wine is, it gets painted with the same brush as every other wine. While the real fanatics will still seek out the best (I don’t see anyone giving up on Thomas because of 2007), the general public ends up avoiding the vintage even though some of the wines may be superb.
This has been a really tough time for Oregon wine makers. I fully suspect that a number of them won’t make it. Some of the old established price points appear to have either dropped 20-25% or have disappeared altogether. I think the concern is that if people start talking about bad vintages nobody will buy anything, whether it’s mediocre or incredible.
Big fan of Le Cadeau here…just had 3 cases delivered last month 
Rick;
I think was touched on in another thread. But given an overall limited budget for wine:
Why would you promote anyone right now to go out and buy 07 Oregon pinots when they can wait and buy 08s in the very near term(not talking immediate daily drinking needs)?
I understand the impact this has/will have for the winemakers setting with 07 inventory, but I couldn’t suggest much else to anyone.