Some respected tasters opined here they had never really liked an Oregon Pinot Noir. I really liked one last night. Betsy had a long day of rehearsing yesterday, then promised David she would give him a driving lesson - dinner was left to me. I grabbed some steelhead trout, squash, and portabellos at the store. Marinated the trout briefly in a soy/mirin mix. Everything went on the grill, and served with leftover cabbage and orzo. I like PN and salmon, and as steelhead is a lot like salmon went with the 2000 St. Innocent Temperance Hill Pinot Noir. I remembered this as a light-bodied ON, but this has picked up some body in the bottle. Earthy nose. Very attractive raspberry fruit, moderate acidity balancing the sweetness of the fruit. Light cedar notes (label says 30% new oak). Fresh and delighful. Really maybe the best under $20 Oregon Pinot I've had. Why did I only get one!?!?A-/B+
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency. Dale
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