Impressions of Six Relatively Expensive Oregon Pinot Noir

Although this is contrary to our standard methodology for evaluating wines, I’m going to provide some quick impressions of six fairly expensive Oregon pinot noir that one of our usual panelists and I tried at a local tasting.

For those who are not regular readers of this blog, our standard methodology calls for opening two or more presumably comparable bottles, sampling then them blind first without food and then over the course of dinner. The partially consumed bottles are then set aside for another day or so when the process is repeated. At that point, we finalize our views on which ones we like and why.

This process is advisable first because wine tends to taste different when consumed with food and second because wine changes as it is exposed to more and more oxygen. Pinot noir is especially volatile and one’s first impression isn’t always the final verdict.

Nonetheless, since there is tremendous interest in Oregon’s 2005 vintage and because some of these wines are likely to sell out before long, here goes:

Adelsheim 2005 “Willamette Valley” Pinot Noir ($29): a very pleasant, light to medium-bodied wine leaning toward red fruit flavors. But a hint of dark fruit gives this one a bit of extra interest. A professional winemaker (who doesn’t make pinot noir) who was present at the tasting said that while she liked the wine, too much of its flavor came from oak as opposed to from the grapes. I’m not sophisticated enough to detect this, but I pass her observation on for what it is worth. This wine can definitely be consumed with pleasure now. It’s impossible to say whether it is a good candidate for cellaring without subjecting it to the oxygenation process. It should be relatively easy to find because over 10,000 cases were produced – a large amount by Oregon standards – and because Adelsheim is widely distributed.

Bethel Heights 2005 “Estate” Pinot Noir ($31): a light-bodied wine with perhaps more of a raspberry than a cherry flavor, which seems to be a characteristic of this winery. Nicely balanced between fruit and alcohol and very clean off the palate. No discernable flaws and might be excellent with salmon. No indications of how it might age, but the owner of the shop at which the tasting took place said that in his experience, Bethel Heights offerings hold up extremely well over time.

Broadley 2005 “Estate” Pinot Noir ($33): we didn’t care for this one and neither did the professional winemaker who was making the rounds with us. She termed it “disjointed.” A very dark-colored, medium-bodied wine, this offering seemed a bit astringent. Considerable tannin was evident and, on the basis of one tasting, it is hard to know how that might resolve over time. (This offering used to be known as the winery’s “Reserve” pinot noir). Broadley also makes a less expensive blend that sells for about $22 a bottle. We haven’t tried the 2005, but we weren’t impressed with the 2004 version. (See our Pinot Noir Recommended List for additional comments.)

Broadley 2005 “Bergstrom” Pinot Noir ($36): a dark, soft, mouth-filling wine – rich, delicious and open. Our professional winemaking friend described it as “creamy,” which she said means it has a mouth-coasting quality. Made from grapes obtained from the Bergstrom vineyard, as opposed to from grapes grown on Broadley’s own vines, this wine is made in limited quantities and could be hard to find. Looks like a winner if you can obtain it.

Shea 2005 “Estate” Pinot Noir ($39 to $40): a little “tight” at the beginning, this wine needs a lot of oxygen to open up and show its range of subtle flavors and compelling complexity. We can say that because, as regular readers know, we recently reviewed the Shea 2005 “Estate” pinot using our standard methodology and found it to a very interesting offering that got better and better over time. It is medium-to-heavy in terms of body and has a nice, long finish. The professional winemaker referenced above said it probably needs a few years in the cellar to be at its best – and we are definitely putting a few bottles away to test that theory.

This is currently the hot ticket in the Seattle area with respect to relatively expensive Oregon pinot noir and as such, it is rapidly disappearing from the shelves of retailers. If you want to try the Shea, you had better act quickly because it probably won’t be available for long. The winery’s website hasn’t been updated with details of the 2005 vintage, but about 1,100 cases of the 2004 “Estate” pinot were made and 2005 production is probably somewhere around that level as well. If you do purchase it for current consumption, open it well before you drink it and consider decanting the wine.

(The Shea vineyard is large and well regarded. Most of the grapes are sold to other producers, such as Panther Creek and Ken Wright, so you will probably see this name crop up from time to time on other offerings.)

Bergstrom 2005 “Cumberland Reserve” Pinot Noir ($47): this is a “big” wine – rich and full bodied. It is dark in color and predominantly flavored with dark as opposed to red fruit. Tannin is evident, which should give the “Cumberland Reserve” additional complexity – given the quantity of fruit – as it softens with age. A good choice for cellaring – perhaps of the extended variety. (The winery recommends three to eight years). Indeed, it would probably be a shame to drink this one now. The 2005 “Cumberland Reserve” is already sold out at the winery so it could be tough to obtain. By the way, our friend the professional really liked it.