Willamette Valley Vineyards 2010 Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $30

Of Willamette Valley Vineyards’ upper-tier Pinot Noirs, this is the largest-production bottling, as it uses grapes from three vineyards: Estate (at the winery south of Salem), Tualatin (near Forest Grove) and Elton (Eola-Amity Hills northwest of Salem). This is a beautifully balanced wine loaded with elegance and flavor. It offers aromas of brown sugar, black cherry, vanilla bean and saddle leather, followed by flavors of butter rum, pomegranate, toffee and espresso. Moderate acidity and mild tannins provide all the structure it needs. We like the way it’s drinking now and think it will age gracefully for at least another half-decade.

Rating: Excellent

Production: 10,553 cases

Alcohol: 13%

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