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Ribbon Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023, Ribbon Ridge, Oregon

29 Wednesday Jul 2026

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Pale garnet colored, with medium viscosity (13.8% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of cherry compote, red raspberry, cranberry, sassafras, cola, cedar, and pomegranate.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium tannins that are fine grained.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of red fruit and cola/root beer alongside some cedar notes lead to a medium length finish.  It’s a tasty Pinot Noir that has some cellaring capacity yet would pair beautifully right away with roast Chicken, grilled Salmon, perhaps a Pork chop and some Ratatouille.  90 points from me for this $43 effort makes it a 3 star wine to drink till 2032.  Salut….

Ribbon Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir

Eola Springs Limited Addition red blend 2023, Willamette Valley, Oregon

28 Tuesday Jul 2026

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Medium ruby colored, bordering on garnet, with low viscosity (12.2% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red and black raspberry, acai berry, mulberry, funky spice, tomato stalk, and a herbal compote.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a light body, and medium (-) tannins, all making for a very easy mouthfeel.  Flavor intensity is a touch more than the nose but mimics those interesting fruit notes alongside some savory green hints.  The finish is medium (-) in length but very pleasing.  This light-bodied charmer is a pleasure to drink as an aperitif, and I plan on pairing it with Pork chops.  It needs to stay away from hearty stews, bold steaks or anything gamy.  Overall, a very delightful wine to drink over the short term.  It gets 89 points from me and for the $36 price point, 3 stars.  Not much info out there on this unique blend of Bastardo, Garnacha and Mencia.  Salut….

Eola Springs Limited Addition red blend

 

Ribbon Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022, Ribbon Ridge, Oregon

15 Sunday Mar 2026

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Pale garnet colored, with high viscosity (13.8% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of bruised black cherry, pomegranate, red raspberry, baking spice, and crushed rock.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium (+) tannins.  Medium intensity flavors diminish on the mid palate to end in a slightly watery finish that is short in length.  Such a shame, this one started out strong and encouraging with good structure, an interesting nose, and good flavors.  I can’t go higher than 87, and for the $43 price tag it gets 2 stars.  Drink by 2030.  Salut….

Ribbon Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir

Yamhill Valley Vineyards Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2017, McMinnville, Oregon

18 Tuesday Nov 2025

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Pale garnet colored, with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red cherry, strawberry coulis, straw, red currant, cherry cola, and a hint of plumcot. It’s New World in nature, lacking any funk, but not candied.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium (-) tannins that are fine grained.  The red fruit dominates the medium (+) intensity flavor profile with some earthy dry vegetal notes and a touch of cola.  The finish is medium in length and refreshingly tart.  This is a very tasty wine, albeit somewhat one dimensional, but it’s going to go well with baked Salmon.  It gets 90 points from me and for the $60 price point- 3 stars.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Yamhill Valley Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir

Boedecker Cellars Distinction Pinot Noir 2019, Willamette Valley, Oregon

12 Wednesday Nov 2025

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Pale ruby colored, fading to pale garnet, with medium viscosity (13.8% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black cherry, baking spices, ripe pomegranate, orange peel, black raspberry, toasty oak, and Turkish coffee.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium (-) tannins.  The flavors are medium in intensity and hone in on dark red fruit. The oak influence is not as evident as the nose,  with the focus being on black raspberry and black cherry.  I like it- the zesty tartness of the acidity makes for a lively mouthfeel.  The finish is medium (+) in length and juicy.  92 points from me for this $50 bottle gets it 4 stars.  Drink till 2033.  Salut….

Boedecker Cellars Distinction Pinot Noir

The Color Collector Gamay Noir 2023, Willamette Valley, Oregon

08 Tuesday Apr 2025

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Medium ruby colored with slight staining, and a watery sheen (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of grape bubble gum, violets, red raspberry, purple licorice, vanilla bean, spicebox and a gamy note once it has opened up.  The palate is dry with high acidity, a medium (-) body, and low tannins.  Medium intensity fruit flavors of red currant, red raspberry, grape bubble gum, violets, spice box and some vanilla and game.  It’s certainly a tart affair that refreshes, yet begs for food.  The finish is medium (-) in length and quite acidic.  This wine is interesting- not built like a carbonically macerated Nouveau nor does it have the structure (tannins) of a Cru Beaujolais, it has primal red fruit with high acidity and that telltale grape bubble gum note.  It’s delightful to drink and will pair beautifully with the baked Salmon I am preparing.  90 points from me for this $32 bottle makes it a 4 star wine.  I would drink till 2028.  Salut….

The Color Collector Gamay Noir

 

A to Z Wineworks Oregon Pinot Noir 2021, Oregon

16 Thursday May 2024

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Pale to medium ruby colored with low viscosity (13.5% ABV).  Medium intensity aromas of funky strawberry, pomegranate, rooibos tea, cherry cola, rose and sassafras.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a light to medium body and medium (-) tannins.  Flavors of red pomegranate, ripe strawberry and cherry cola pop right off the bat.  Funk, rooibos and rose come next.  It has an interesting finish- medicinal meets ginger.  Never had that before.  The acidity is marked yet the diminutive tannins seem to hold balance.  A medium length finish is enjoyed whilst savoring the red fruits.  90 points, and a steal at $15 which makes it a 5 star effort to drink till 2029. Salut….

Hyland Estates Old Vine Gewurztraminer 2022, Willamette Valley, Oregon

23 Saturday Mar 2024

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We held our 35th Virtual Wine tasting last night and it was one of the best yet.  Kicking it off was this Gewurztraminer from Oregon that we tasted chilled and then at room temp.  Normally, I have found more expression and wider appeal with the room temp versions of white wines, but that was not the case.  Pale lemon colored with high viscosity (13.7% ABV).  You could smell the aromas from a mile away- so intense!  Lychee, yellow apple, nectarine, peach, red grapefruit, rosewater, apricot and honey- quite a melange.  On the palate this wine was dry with medium (-) acidity and a medium (+) body.  This varietal is often made in an off-dry style but this one was fully dry and slightly viscous in the mouthfeel.  Notes of apricot, honey, lychee, rosewater, grapefruit and pear went on to a medium to long finish.  It was delicious and got 17.5 points on our scoring sheet.

The room temp version was far less aromatic, which is counterintuitive.  More lychee  but less overall aromas that consisted of grapefruit, cotton candy, apricot, (Laundry detergent- in a fresh sense), crayon (not my words btw).  On the palate it was fuller in body but the acidity was somewhat even less pronounced.  Primarily honey and lychee driven, we also got cotton candy and some apricot.  I gave it 13 points on our sheet.

Overall this wine was a success, but drink it chilled!  I scored it at 91 points and for $20 it’s an excellent intro to this highly aromatic and wonderful grape.  5 stars.  Drink till 2027.  Salut….

Rainstorm Pinot Noir 2021, Willamette Valley, Oregon

13 Tuesday Dec 2022

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Pale ruby with a touch of effervescence on the rim. The nose offers up medium intensity aromas of strawberry, cherry, cranberry, singed alder, cinnamon, pomegranate syrup and a tart red apple. The palate has juicy acidity that is medium along with very lithe tannins. Medium bodied- I get the same red fruit driven flavors with a kiss of oak. The wine finishes medium length with a touch of tartness. I like this $15 wine, it’s moderately complex with primal fruit and for the price it gets 5 stars. 90 points, drink till 2025. Salut…..

Sokol Blosser ‘E – Evolution’ Pinot Noir 2020, Willamette Valley, Oregon

15 Thursday Sep 2022

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After the disastrous Pinot I just tasted at the wine bar I needed redemption- this 89 pointer helped.  Pale ruby colored it had a slight funk to the nose alongside spice box, cherry, earthy cinnamon and stewed raspberry which made me wonder if this was yesterdays unprotected bottle??  The palate had medium (+) acidity, medium body and medium (-) tannins- all to be expected for this varietal.  For $14 this is not a bad drop of Oregonian Pinot that you could pop-n-pour any night of the week and pair with roast Chicken or even use in Boeuf Bourguignon.  Drink this 4 star effort till 2025.  Salut….