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Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir 2016

This month, SC Wine Joe presented two classes on "Wines of Oregon" for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Furman University.   We explored why the Willamette Valley has become a world class region for Pinot Noir.  Following the discussion, we tasted four Oregon wines including my favorite, Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir.

I first tasted Willamete Valley Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir last August on my tour of the Willamette Valley Vineyards winery.  Our guide, Jose, shared a taste of this wine with us on our tour and we were tremendously impressed.  Later that day, we each had a glass of this wine to accompany lunch and we ordered several bottles to be shipped to our home.  At home, we were pleased to learn that this wine is available at several local stores.

Estate Pinot Noir is sourced from three winery owned, sustainable certified vineyards in the Willamette Valley.  Each vineyard has its own unique soil type and micro climate.  The wine is aged in French oak (25% new) and the alcohol content is 13.9%.

The color of this wine is darker than the average Oregon Pinot Noir and the dark fruit aromas jump from the glass.  This is one of the smoothest wines you will ever drink.  In the last OLLI tasting, one of the students noted the variety of flavors on the palate and I totally agree.  The primary flavors to me include dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry and cola.  The finish is long and smooth with some spice.  This is an exceptional wine.

At the winery, this wine sells for $32.  Currently, our local Costco has it for $24.95.

SC Wine Joe rating = 92 points


       
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