Last night, I had a great wine and have to share. The seasons are changing and I was craving the taste of pinot noir. Never having Stoller Eastates wine before, but trusting the suggestion of my wine partner and personal wine concierge, Mariam Raz of Wines by Raz, I had the pleasure of sampling a bottle of the case of 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir from Dundee Hills, Orgeon, I had just purchased. Wow I mean wow is the 2010 drinking well.
This Stoller Reserve Pinot Noir has a light, fruity flavorful quality with medium tannins (I didn't get a headached, as I normally do from red wine) and flavors of cherry and bright red fruit. Aged in French oak, it exemplifies how pinot noir should taste. Two words: quintecentially perfect. The 13.5% alcohol content allows the wine to not be too heavy and overpowering. And, for the 2013 vintage, at $30/bottle this wine is approachable and affordable for your bottom line and special dinner. The 2010 is around $44 at this time.
Some Background:
Stoller Family Estate is the largest contiguous vineyard in Oregon’s Dundee Hills, spanning 373 acres, with approximately 190 under vine. The estate produces seven types of wine: The property features seven planted varieties: Pinot Noir (63%), Chardonnay (28%), Pinot Gris, Riesling, Tempranillo, Syrah and Pinot Blanc. "Clonal selection includes Pinot Noir clones Pommard, 777, 667, 114, Wädenswil, while Chardonnay features Dijon clones 96, 95, and 76. Our site features a warmer microclimate, due to the surrounding mountains, that allows for a more consistent ripening. To continue to elevate the quality of the fruit, we combine sustainable farming practices, innovative techniques, and scientific research," per their website.
Pinot Noir hails originally from Burgundy, France. Its grapes grow in bunches, like the shape of a pine cone. In French, pine cone translates to pinot.
Dundee Hills is an region in Oregon's Willamette Valley, some 25 miles southwest of Portland. Willamette Valley's first Pinot Noir vines were planted in Dundee Hills in the mid-1960s by growers who were determined to show that Oregon's soil was better suited to the variety than in California. Their great work was awarded in 1979, when a Dundee Hills Pinot Noir beat out some excellent wines from Burgundy to win second place at the Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiads.
As a lover of chardonnay, I feel Stoller Chard is in my future.
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