This is some stylish Pinot noir and rightly so coming from the winemaker Tony Rynders who has made wine here in America at a few wineries who represent the pinnacle of quality for more than twenty years prior to making his own label. He certainly knew what he was doing when he made this fine elixir. The 2009 Willamette Valley Pinot noir exudes aromas of cherry, high cacao count dark chocolate and a light expression of whole stick Vietnamese cinnamon. The flavors carry a lot of the same attributes but integrate some raspberry into the cherry chocolate mix. This wine is bigger than the usual Oregon Pinot and offers up a full sized frame to transport this vessel of deliciousness and beauty. There is a full flavor crescendo in the mid-palate that leads to a plush triumphant finish that lingers softly beckoning the hand to raise the glass once more. If you are planning a memorable meal to go with this wine, I recommend a smoked salmon mascarpone mousse on grilled bread (Bruschetta). A mint pesto stuffed leg of grilled Lamb would do well as an entrée. The wine also works well as a standalone sipper in cocktail situations.
Rating: Excellent (90) | $48 | 14.3% ABV
Find this wine to buy: Vinquire | WineZap.com
Thank you for this review! Beautifully written. Hope to try it some time.
it is a delicious wine! Cheers Cortney…
Otago pinots are big, and there’s no getintg around that; even picking as early as possible (without being underripe) doesn’t really help. But most producers are doing what they can do avoid overripeness and excess size. There’s only so much they can do, but in the greater context of Otago pinot, this one’s dark but actually on the less aggressive side.It would be interesting if you could get a bottle of the Wild Earth bottling (e.g. no “Blind Trail”) for a little more money. (Note .) Then compare; I think you’ll find this one lightens by comparison.Or maybe you’ll find them both shiraz-like. ;-)