Pacific NW

Made by Josh Bergström, this estate vineyard blend of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir expresses the house style with vibrant red fruit, showing ripe strawberry, cranberry, black raspberry, and plum layered…

Crafted by Jarrod Boyle at Alexandria Nicole, this 94 percent Roussanne with a touch of Viognier is an aromatic, Rhône styled white, offering sweet peach, apricot, lemon custard, lychee, honey…

Made by Chris Figgins at Leonetti, one of Washington’s benchmark producers, this blend led by 81 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec is deep, polished, and classically structured…

The color is a deep ruby, with a lovely nose of black plum, coffee, blackberry, and a touch of minerality. On the palate, it is full-bodied with ripe fruit, yet approachable in structure.

When it comes to drinking US Pinot Noirs, my first impulse is to look to the Willamette (sounds like damn it) Valley. The Willamette Valley is Oregon’s primary wine region, boasts over 700 wineries and is recognized for producing excellent Pinot noir. Its cool climate, protected by surrounding mountain ranges, creates distinct wine character within short distances. The valley includes 11 nested appellations, Chehalem Mountains; Dundee… Read more →

Although the Evesham Wood Willamette is the largest wine produced by this maker, it is still of considerable quality. The wine is a blend of grapes from Illahe (Mt. Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA) and Mahonia (Willamette Valley, located in the Jory hills just south of Salem). Despite never having tried this particular wine before, I paired it with baked cod, dirty rice, and roasted… Read more →

Our host asked for a wine with “soft tannins” as the food to be served was Asian-inspired flavors with fish as the main course. Most people think of fish and white wine, personally, I prefer to consider the time of year and flavors. In this case, it was also the dead of winter. My thoughts immediately leaned toward Pinot Noir, Gamay, or Bobal. I decided… Read more →