Quick Sip: Willamette Valley Vineyards Tualatin Estate Pinot Noir 2007
Pinot Noir and Riesling are two varietals I thoroughly enjoy swirling, sniffing, and sipping. I find both to be very food friendly and just as satisfying on their own. Here in Virginia, the overall warm-to-hot macroclimate is not a suitable fit for cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Riesling, Pinot Gris, etc. However, given our diversity in microclimates, there are a few ‘cool pockets’ that allow for a small amount of each to be grown and bottled. For the Willamette Valley of Oregon, these varieties, namely Pinot Noir, have put this exciting New World wine producing region on the wine map. This progression to excellence dates back to 1966 when the late David Lett, founder of Eyrie Vineyards, was the area's first winegrower to plant both Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris in the Willamette Valley. About a decade later, Eyrie Vineyard’s Pinot Noir wines gained world-wide recognition for competing with and defeating other Pinot Noir wines from around the world, including top Burgundy examples. Today the Willamette Valley of Oregon is one of the select few wine producing regions in the world that is known for producing exquisite world-class Pinot Noir wines. Enough of my rambling though friends, let’s jump into the glass.
Willamette Valley Vineyards Tualatin Estate Pinot Noir
Today’s Quick Sip is the Willamette Valley Vineyards Tualatin Estate Vineyard's Pinot Noir 2007. Willamette Valley Vineyards was founded in 1983 by winegrower Jim Bernau and is one of Oregon’s leaders in quality Pinot Noir production. Willamette Valley Vineyards is certified sustainable and Salmon Safe. The Tualatin Estate is one of several Pinot Noir labels offered by Willamette Valley Vineyards. In the glass, the Willamette Valley Vineyard's Tualatin Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir exhibits a light-to-medium ruby-red color. The swirl and sniff offers inviting aromas of sweet plum and tart cherries with soft touches of spice and pretty floral notes (violets). On the sip, the wine is silky smooth with bright red fruit and plum flavors, moderate acidity, and hints of sweet baking spice, finishing long with a velvety mouth-feel. The Willamette Valley Vineyard's Tualatin Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007 clocks in at 13.8% alcohol by volume and has a real cork enclosure. The wine sips nicely on its own or could be paired with salmon, tuna or pork loin. For you wine geeks out there (like me), make sure you check the back label for all sorts of good technical data about the contents of the bottle – I wish more producers would put this type of information on their labels. In closing, if you have not tried Willamette Valley, Oregon, Pinot Noir yet, then this is a good place to start. Look for ‘Quick Sips’ of more Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Riesling soon.
Info: Willamette Valley Vineyards, 8800 Enchanted Way SE, Turner, OR 97392
Stay tuned friends ...More to come!
Disclaimer: My Vine Spot received this selection as a sample.
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