Oregon pinots that are drinking well now

WINE TALK
#1

What are some good Oregon pinots that are readily available and drinking well now?

Under $40, preferably.

#2

2011 Cameron Willamette Valley - should be $20ish, and delish. I bought a six-pack of this and have quickly plowed through 3 of these.

I just got some 2011 Dundee Hills Reserve for a bit more, but haven’t uncorked any yet - will do so soon

Welcome to WB

#3

2010 Eyrie - about $30.

#4

I had the 2011 Cameron Reserve Pinot a couple of nights ago. Very nice wine but needs a little time.

The 2010 Eyrie is a stellar bottle.

#5

Readily available? Depends where you are. Cameron is usually a pretty good bet, and I really enjoyed the basic 2010 Willamette Valley bottling from Ayres.

#6

I just had the 2011 Cameron Reserve Dundee Hills tonight. Very tight at first, but opened up and softened after a few hours. I wouldn’t call it readily available, but it’s worth contacting internet sources (e.g. Sec a Wines).

I’d suggest running some searches on WB - Oregon Pinot is a strong topic. Many of the appellation wines will be in that price range and should be drinking well early on.

#7

I really like all the Cameron wines; white, rosé & red. [cheers.gif] '11 Dundee Hills PN from Sec is a winner. [winner.gif]

#8

Between $40 and $50 from the vineyard, Carter Vineyard Pinot Noirs. The 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages are available from the winery. I bought two of each and so far have only opened the 2008 which was quite enjoyable.
Also check out Pinots from Sokol Blosser–the 2009 and 2010 basic Dundee Hills Pinot Noirs are available on www.wine-searcher.com at around $29 to $32 but CellarTracker notes indicate that the 2010 would improve with another year or two of age so you might want to seek out the 2009 for drinking now. Also the 2009 Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir for $22 or $23 was popular at a wine tasting I held for a church fundraiser. I have also purchased the 2010 Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir Reserve for under $40 but haven’t opened it yet and it may need some more age on it.

#9

My experience has been that many of the 09s are pretty friendly right now. I opened an 09 J. Christopher Abbey Ridge a couple of weeks ago and it was drinking well. Just keep in mind that generally speaking, the 09s are a bit fat, perhaps too fat for the AFWE in me. I tasted the 2010 Chehalem Three Vineyards (Three something?) last week and thought it respectable for $25. Steve Girard visited our store and poured his Benton Lane wines. I was pleasantly surprised by the basic PN from 2010. The Chehalem and the Benton Lane should be available in most markets for $20-$30. They may not be cool and hip though. neener Some of the 2008 lower level wines are beginning to come around also. Recently the 08 Ayers Willamette at $19 was delish.

Cameron wines are icky. No one should buy them. [wink.gif]

#10

Patricia Green Estate and Reserve are both around $30. The 2011s are drinking well now.

Michael

#11

What’s with all the Cameron reccos!? Some people really do find the wines “icky” especially the super reduced versions, although they’re less common these days. Cameron is not that widely available and we know nothing about Corya’s location or Pinot preferences.

Under $40 includes a boatload of Oregon Pinots, from Ayres to Winderlea. Style preferences can point to certain vintages or groups of producers.

RT

#12

I’d add a +1 to the Eyrie and Cameron recommendations, but they’re on the more elegant or restrained side of the Oregon PN scale. As Richard says, depending on where you are, these might not be available in your local wine shop. If this is a general style you enjoy, you may also want to look at St. Innocent. Most of their line-up can be had for less than $40, and I’ve enjoyed several of their 2010s and 2011s over the past few months. IMHO, 2010s are generally drinking better than 2011s right now, though the 2011 St. Innocent Temperance Hill was particularly nice, and surprisingly accessible for the vintage.

If you like a more forward style, you may be able to find some 2009s (warmer vintage) still on the shelves. Hopefully others can make recommendations about nice, forward-styled current releases.

#13

I got both the '10 & '11 Estate Old Vines, Jim said to drink one and hold the other, but with my feeble old mind cannot remember which. [scratch.gif]
Maybe I should listen to TW and make notes. [oops.gif]

#14

Anyone tried st innocent?

#15

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Oddly enough '11s on those two wines drink better than the '10s. Right now anyway. Not sure why as most '10s would be the opposite of that. Ribbon Ridge I guess is the only answer. Not a lot of stuff makes sense here.

#16

I would add the Crowley 2011 WV Pinot Noir. Tyson’s AVA offerings are always a great value and, while I like and buy a lot of Cameron, I back up the truck for Crowley as our house wine.

#17

I have been enjoying the 2011 Biggio-Hamina WV. Really well made wine at a good price. Super food friendly. The Ayres WV is available and is a very solid value (the cooler 2011 played right into Brad’s hands as the wines can get a bit too big for my taste). You can also get some 2010’s, which IMHO are going to drink better than the 11’s at this point (e.g., Belle Pente Murto is available at Vinopolis; note also that the 2007 Belle Pente vineyard pinot is also still around). I love Cameron, and have bought a ton of it, but the 2011 WV I opened the other day was pretty reductive. Popped a 2011 Patty Green Durant last night that was reductive, too, so I sealed her up and put her in the fridge for tonight. Seven of Hearts always does a nice job with their affordable pinots and Byron has been saying 2011 is one of his favorite vintages ever. I’d be considering some of those. I haven’t opened any Matello yet other than the Lazarus, which came off as lean and a bit angular right now so I am giving it more time. I would be buying up the 2011’s but not drinking them yet, other than the WV offerings. These are wines for the cellar.

#18

Can anyone comment on the 2008 vintage of this? One of my local shops has a few bottles on the shelf.

#19

Todd posts here often and should be able to provide insight. However, he might be a bit busy this time of year.

My suggestion would be to just grab one and try it. If you like it, you can go back and clean them out. While many of the ‘higher end’ '08’s still need to sleep, I had an '08 Crowley WV a few weeks ago that was a nice quaffer. The entry level '08’s appear to be starting to enter their drinking windows.

#20

I haven’t had one of those for a while. I’ll open one tonight for punch downs and report back.