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11 Northwest Pinot Noirs to taste today

By on September 29, 2013

Oak Knoll Winery 2008 Red Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Oregon, $24

oak-knoll-winery-red-hill-vineyard-pinot-noir-2008-labelRed Hill of Douglas County stands as a unique American Viticultural Area in the Pacific Northwest because the sub-AVA of the Umpqua Valley is dominated by a single vineyard — a 250-acre planting that began with Pinot Noir in 1970. Some of Oregon’s most flavorful Pinot Noir bottlings are juiced up the inclusion of fruit from some of the warmer sections of the Umpqua Valley, and Jeff Herinckx provides a charming example of Red Hill Vineyard with this release. He cellared it for more that three years and built it for the long haul, which shows starting with fruit-forward aromas of raspberry, dusty cherry and red plums, backed by leather. There’s a lot to like in the rich drink, which is balanced with its plush entry of cherries and dried strawberry that’s framed by elegant tannins. A lick of milk chocolate and lingering acidity give it length.

Rating: Outstanding!

Production: 400 cases

Alcohol: 13%

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About Andy Perdue

Andy Perdue is the editor and publisher of Great Northwest Wine. He is a third-generation journalist who has worked at newspapers since the mid-1980s and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Eric Degerman and served as its editor-in-chief for 15 years. He is a frequent judge at international wine competitions. He is the author of "The Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer's Handbook" (Sasquatch, 2003) and has contributed to four other books. He writes about wine for The Seattle Times. You can find him on Twitter and .

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