Oregon Red Wines

wines

Brilliant ruby. Smoke-accented aromas of cherry and black raspberry, along with suggestions of tobacco and candied flowers. Broad and chewy in the mouth, offering concentrated red and dark berry flavors plus bitter chocolate and fruitcake nuances. A spicy quality adds lift and cut to a very long, penetrating, cherry-tinged finish framed by steadily building tannins.Vinous Media | 93 VMSome depth to the hue with aromas of ripe dark cherries and dark plums, as well as violets and wild herbs. The palate has such impressive grain to the tannin and carries a wealth of juicy, dark-cherry flavor. So fresh and taut. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSNo written review provided | 93 W&SBrooding like a teenager at this point, with deep raspberry and blueberry that pick up black tea and savory fresh earth accents and build toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2028. 670 cases made. Wine Spectator | 92 WSNicely aromatic, this offers a touch of truffle, moist earth bordering on compost, and black-cherry fruit at its core. The acids bring a seam of blood orange into the mix. Tannins are astringent and dry it out through the finish, leaving a final impression of black tea.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEThe 2018 Pinot Noir Gregory Ranch has a medium ruby-purple color and aromas of cranberry sauce, turned earth, tobacco leaves and blood orange. The palate is broody and grainy with earthy character and a juicy finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

This is a bold, richly structured pinot with a wealth of darker-cherry and plum aromas, as well as freshly turned earth and leafy, autumnal tones, forest wood and fresh tobacco. The palate has strikingly mouth-coating tannins that carry ripe and succulent dark-cherry, plum and cocoa-nib flavors. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSPolished and expressive, with rose petal, black raspberry and spiced tea flavors that expand and flesh out on the savory finish. Drink now through 2029. 478 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSMedium ruby-purple, the 2019 Pinot Noir Gregory Ranch has pretty aromas of berry fruit, orange peel, wildflower and autumnal earthy accents. The palate has intense spicy fruits, bright freshness and polished tannins, gliding seamlessly into a long, layered finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPDark, bright-rimmed red. Spice- and earth-tinged red and blue fruit scents show a suave floral overtone. Youthfully taut bitter cherry, blueberry and spicecake flavors flesh out and take a sweeter turn through the back half. Finishes very long and precise, with gently gripping tannins and a resonating cherry flourish.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis vineyard designate has distinctive and palate-penetrating pine needle accents. It’s tight and focused, mixing cranberry and tart raspberry fruit with a light suggestion of truffly umami. The balance and complexity argue for further bottle age. It wraps up with well-ripened tannins that add touches of black olive and black tea.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2019 Pinot Noir Silice Vineyard is generous and already very layered this vintage. The nose offers detailed cranberries, blackberries, licorice and flint. The palate is silky and has inviting savory tones streaking through the wild berry fruit. It finishes with fantastic length and detail. This was made using 100% whole clusters.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPPolished, rich and luscious, offering vibrant black raspberry, baking spice and savory anise flavors. A knockout of a Pinot. Drink now through 2030. 611 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSDark crimson. Mineral-accented black raspberry, cherry cola and violet aromas are complemented by a spicy nuance and a hint of botanical herbs. Well-concentrated yet lively as well, offering intense red and blue fruit, candied lavender and spicecake flavors supported by a spine of minerality. Finishes very long and finely detained, displaying lingering cherry, floral and spice qualities and gently chewy tannins.Vinous Media | 94 VMA notably sandy plot in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, this has a very fragrant nose with roasted coffee, violet and toasted spices, such as cardamom, mace, cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as a core of ripe cherries. The palate is sumptuously fleshy and bathed in sweetly ripe cherry and berry flavors. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2019 Pinot Noir Silice shows a bit of reduction on opening, with notes of violets, then takes on a hint of black fruit, with blackberry and candied flowers. The palate is generous with red fruit through the midpalate with ripe raspberry, tea leaf, and a floral perfume on the finish. This would benefit from a quick decanting if opening right away. Drink 2024-2034.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDBergström has cut back production of the single vineyard wines to the benefit of the blended Cumberland Reserve. In this new vintage, the single vineyard wines have added concentration and specificity. The Silice Vineyard is rooted in sandy soils and gets exceptional sun exposure and strong winds. It’s all evident in this powerful wine, with a crystalline focus, firm tannins and compact black fruits. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEExceptionally pretty and very spicy aromas are comprised by notes of various dark berries, plum and a plethora of floral elements. There is a lovely sense of transparency to the pure, delicious and vibrant medium weight flavors that possess good richness yet also solid precision on the dusty, youthfully austere and complex finale that falls off somewhat as it sits on the palate. Even so, it’s reasonable to assume that this may well become more harmonious as the tannins age out.Burghound | 91 BHYouthful and unformed, there’s a plummy dark fruit note beneath reductive suede and leather accents. The dark cherry flavors are plump while oak hovers above them, unresolved. It needs at least six months in the cellar to sort itself out. Wine & Spirits Magazine | 90 W&S

Extremely aromatic and perfumed with floral, strawberry and hibiscus-water character. Lavender, too. Full-bodied with toned tannins that are tight and focused. Polished and lightly austere, in a serious and polished way. Pulls you in with an energetic finish. Drinkable now, but even better in three or four years.James Suckling | 96 JS

This 2021 wine is a fine example of the charm, balance and satisfaction that fine Dundee Hills Pinot can provide. Translucent scarlet in colour, with magnetically attractive raspberry scents, once on the palate the wine is soft-contoured yet energetic, with arresting intensity of fruit. Here the raspberry shades into something more curranty and tenacious, and there are refreshing bitter notes in the finish, too, with a hint of earthiness perhaps derived from the clays of volcanic origin in which the vines grow. The warm edge of cool climate? Perhaps – and it makes for beautiful drinking.Decanter | 97 DECThis is bright and red-fruited with savory herbs, cocoa powder and nut shell. Medium- to full-bodied with compact, chocolaty tannins and velvety texture. It is plush, long and polished with attractive cocoa-dusted dark cherry and spicy notes to close. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe wine’s aromas of sweet blackberries and lemon tarts are contrasted by traces of earth and thyme. Blackberry jam dominates the creamy palate, with we bits of cedar and caffè macchiato. Soft acidity, with plush tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The 2021 Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard comes from a single block of 667 clone vines and is one of the most impressive Pinot expressions I’ve encountered from the 2021 vintage in the Willamette Valley so far. Medium ruby-purple, it has intense, singular and pure aromatics: cranberry, rhubarb and blueberry are accented by fine touches of conifer, aniseed, iron and pipe tobacco, and it continues to shift and change as it spends time in the glass. The medium-bodied palate is powerful, offering highly concentrated, detailed fruit and a support of abundant, powdery tannins. It has seamless, energetic acidity and haunting streaks of spice and earth that fan across the tremendously long finish. It’s difficult to put this wine down, although it will reward drinkers patient enough to tuck it away in the cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPDeep ruby with a purple tinge, the 2021 Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard needs a minute to open in the glass and would certainly need time to air out in a decanter if opening young, but it opens to reveal ripe and inviting, lush blackberry fruit, violets, and wet river rock. Medium to full-bodied, the palate takes on great focus, with a wonderful balance of density and weightlessness, and is driven forward by a fresh spine of acidity. With ripe tannins and a long finish, this is an exquisite wine from this exceptional site. It demands time, but it’s spectacular now. Drink 2024-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDShows finesse and detail, with youthful and multilayered cherry and raspberry flavors highlighted by spiced tea, mineral and fresh tarragon flavors that finish with refined tannins. Drink now through 2032. 336 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSAromas of marionberries and earthy petrichor are a match made in Oregon. Chewy tannins in no way detract from the wine’s black-cherry and black-pepper flavors. They are joined by a distinctly tropical note hinting at guava. The acidity is bright and so is the future of this wine. Enjoy 2024–2034.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEAdjacent their home vineyard, Justice has been part of the Casteels’ estate since 1999. This site has both volcanic and sedimentary soils, and lies at the mouth of the Van Duzer Corridor “spigot” where winds disperse over the Eola Hills. This is always a well-built wine, starting out with scents of soil and raspberry pith, the dark raspberry limned with clove- and mace-scented oak flavors. A broad-shouldered red for skirt steak.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 91 W&S

Part of the Domaine Drouhin Oregon portfolio, the 2021 Pinot Noir from Cloudline is very easy to drink! Medium ruby-purple in the glass, it’s scented of cranberries, blackberries and blueberries with touches of tar, mushroom and lavender. Light-bodied, soft and juicy, it offers generous, perfumed fruit and a long, floral finish. It’s exported around the world and should be fairly easy to find.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

The 2021 Pinot Noir La Bohème has a medium ruby-purple color and deep scents of red and black cherries, forest floor, pipe tobacco and burnt citrus peel. The medium-bodied palate is surprisingly layered and nuanced, with loads of spicy accents and alluring floral perfume. It has a silky texture, energetic acidity and a very long, spicy finish. Offer it another 2-3 years in the bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

Stunning aromatics lift from the 2021 Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills, which pours a jeweled ruby and offers a mix of red and black fruits, an amazing floral perfume, pine, and crushed stones, all well-interwoven. Seamless on the palate, this medium to full-bodied red has a silky mineral texture, with velvety tannins and gorgeous concentration throughout. With long-lasting energy and outstanding purity, it’s hard to resist now and feels as though it will last for the next 15 or more years. This is one of the best wines I have ever tasted from Mimi Casteel.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JD

From 40-year-old self-rooted vines that are organically farmed, the 2021 Pinot Noir Carter Vineyard is a ripe ruby hue and offers notes of grenadine, candied roses, and cinnamon. Its tannins are ripe and fine, and it fills the palate with ripe red fruit, apricot, and notes of crushed stone along with mouthwatering salinity. Drink 2023-2038.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JD

The 2021 Pinot Noir Laurelwood District has a pale ruby-purple color and slowly unfolding aromas of cranberries, tangerine peel, pipe tobacco and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate is powerful and generous with concentrated fruit, grainy tannins, plenty of refreshing acidity and a long, spicy finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPPretty nose of green strawberries, cranberries, dark currants, licorice and button mushrooms. Juicy and tasty with a medium body and gently dusty tannins. Moreish. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSWhat starts out fairly spicy with oak character takes on an herbal tinge with air, of bay laurel after a rain. Two-days open, and the oak has receded, providing a bit of polish to purplish black-cherry fruit.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 91 W&S