2012 Seven of Hearts Pinot Noir Curmudgeon Cuvée Armstrong Vineyard- USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge (12/26/2014)
Light ruby with lilac, rose nose. Open several hours. Dry with young tart fruit, ripe strawberries with some lightly bitter tannins which lose the bitter over time. A little early in the drinking window, but shows good potential for the years to come. I am finally starting to recognize the Ribbon Ridge fruit, especially the nose. Fairly austere at this time and am going to love it in a few more years. Very drinkable now in the 91-92 pt range.
2012 Seven of Hearts Pinot Noir Curmudgeon Cuvée Armstrong Vineyard- USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge (12/24/2014)
Popped and poured at East of Eighth with friends and family before the “Very Jewish Christmas” comedy show at the Gotham Comedy Club on Christmas Eve. This is getting better with just a bit of age, so no way to tell where it peaks. The mag I have will be astounding if I can keep my hands off it for long enough.
Very light in color. Aroma of red fruit. Palate is red fruit with some spice and a very smooth mouth feel that is well integrated and not disjointed at all. Only a very tiny bit of cola pinot funk, which is so light that it actually adds a positive to the overall flavor profile instead of the negative I often find when that flavor is too strong. A wonderful effort. I am not a fan of shitty Oregon pinot, and I do not drink a lot of it, so my opinion may not be worth very much, but this is far and away the best Oregon pinot I have ever had.