Thursday, March 1, 2007

Taste of Oregon: Ratings #2 and 3

Hi folks. Yes, I know I've been slacking this week, but this little thing called my job keeps interfering with my ability to drink wine. Anyway here are two ratings, since we missed one yesterday. Both of these are wines that I've enjoyed while out at dinner recently with my wife.



Rating #2:

The Wine: Adelsheim Pinot Noir 2005
Country: USA
Region: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Category: Pinot Noir
Price: $22.99 retail ($36 in restaurant)
Decanted or Not: No

Tasting notes:
Color: Deep Ruby
The Nose: Surprisingly powerful for an Oregon Pinot. Big notes of dark ripe fruit and oak. Little spice/cinnamon.
Taste: Very open with nice plum, cherry and pepper flavors. Wonderful silky mouthfeel, with a nice long finish. Flavors of cinnamon and pepper on the finish seem to linger quite a while. I enjoyed this wine with a very hearty chicken parmesan dish at Rosies Trattoria in Randolph. It was a very nice pairing in my opinion. The wine was excellent, with lots of flavor and packed a bit of a punch.

The Verdict: 8 corks

Rating #3:

The Wine: Amavi Cellars 2003 Syrah
The Country: USA
The Region: Oregon, Walla Walla Valley
Category: Syrah
Vintage: 2003
Price: $20.99

Decanted or not: No

Tasting Notes:
Color: Dark Red
Nose: Very sweet smelling. Intense fruit and cinnamon. Light oak and earth.
Taste: Pretty straight forward. Fruit and spices from the get go...plum, blueberry, cinnamon and vanilla flavors persist. The mid-palate is relatively uneventful as the fruits and spices carry over, but are complimented by leather and pepper flavors. The finish is surprisingly tannic, but smooth, and ends with sweet notes in the aftertaste. Overall I liked it, but wasn't crazy about it. The fruit and sweetness seemed to carry through the whole thing, making it difficult to detect any other complexities in the wine. This wine was enjoyed with a whole roasted chicken seasoned with garlic, onion powder, paprika, pepper and salt. Perhaps it was a poor selection to serve with dinner that night, but i still enjoyed it.
The verdict: 7 corks





2 comments:

MyManMisterC said...

With the types of jobs we have, it is conceivable that one would drink more -- not less. It's the damn reporting that gets in the way.

By the way, I took a trip down to Grand Central and got a bottle of the Benton Lane Pinot Noir. I will tell you what I think because that baby is getting cracked open tonight fools!

Grape Nut said...

Mr. C, How was that bottle?