Cloudline Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2016

I purchased this wine in early December at Costco for $14.99 and planned to enjoy it with our Christmas turkey. Some events got in the way and we did not have the wine for the holiday but happily opened the bottle at the end of January.

The Willamette Valley of Oregon is one of the great wine producing regions of the United States. Several wine magazines have honored the area as wine region of the year and the reputation of the region grows every year. The climate and the soil conditions are best suited to growing Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and especially Pinot Noir.

Cloudline Pinot Noir is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from low-yield vineyards in the Willamette Valley including the Roserock Vineyard. The wine has 13.5% alcohol.

The winemaker says that the wine has flavors of dark berry, blue fruit, cola and a touch of spice. I did not note the cola but accept the rest of the description. I actually was not as enthusiastic about this wine as I expected to be. I thought the fruit flavors were muted and the spice and oak were a little harsh.

SC Wine Joe rating = 88 points

Comments

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