Oregon and southern Washington are the same latitude as Bordeax and parts of Burgundy. Many think that this allows these regions to be the best expression of those styles of wine in the U.S. I don’t know about that, but I have noticed that most of the Pinot Noir coming from wineries like Domain Drouhin and other in Oregon, tend to be much more in the earth and spice style of Burgundy. This wine is at the other end of the spectrum from the 2002 Paul Hobbs.

Tasting Notes:
Cinnabar colored in the glass, this wine has a pungent bouquet of intertwined aromas that included redcurrant, leather, eucalyptus, the typical “farmyard” smell of a good Burgundy, and interestingly, hints of dried apricot. On the tongue the wine was tannic with flavors of young crabapple, rosehips, and a slight earthiness that was hard to pin down and which resembled mushrooms. The wine finished smoothly, with a medium to long presence on the palate.

Food Pairing:
The classic pinot or burgundy match applies here. Go fowl. Try a roasted chicken with lemon and thyme or grilled quail with wilted cabbage slaw.

Overall Score: 8

How much?: $32.00

I purchased my bottle at one of my local San Francisco stores, The Wine Club.