Tony Rynders wanted to be the one to take over the winemaking at Panther Creek when Ken Wright stepped away in 1994. Twenty years later, and after a storied career at Domaine Serene, Rynders is heading up the brand that helped make Wright and Oregon famous. In 2015, Wright purchased this vineyard near Bethel Heights from Jack and Kathleen Carter, so this wine carries a … [Read more...] about Panther Creek Cellars 2014 Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, $65
Oregon
Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2014 Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $40
Here’s yet another release from the stunning 2014 vintage in Oregon by Stephen Cary and venerable McMinnville producer Yamhill Valley Vineyards. It also serves as a marker for the balance and yields off those estate vines in 2014. In 2012, they were farmed at 2.3 tons per acre by Oct. 14. In 2014, Cary brought the fruit in from the Hilltop and Morning Light blocks by Oct. 9 and … [Read more...] about Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2014 Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $40
King Estate Winery 2015 Chardonnay, Oregon, $18
Spencer Spetnagel and Brent Stone team up for another delicious and approach white wine from Oregon’s iconic winery. They began with whole cluster pressing and barrel fermentation ahead of a five-month program of surlie aging in French oak. The nose doesn’t reflect much wood influence, offering instead its fruity scents of lemon and lime that lead into pineapple and Granny … [Read more...] about King Estate Winery 2015 Chardonnay, Oregon, $18
Fullerton Wines 2014 Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $45
Beaverton, Ore., winemaker Alex Fullerton devotes this bottling to Croft Vineyard, a 30-year-old organic planting near Monmouth. His program of 40 percent whole-cluster fermentation and 25% new French oak presents light toast aromas with black cherry, strawberry fruit leather, caramel and rose hips. Its lithe style brings delicate red fruit flavors, boysenberry acidity, … [Read more...] about Fullerton Wines 2014 Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $45
Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2012 Tall Poppy Single Block Designate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $75
Yamhill Valley Vineyards is home to the second-oldest vineyard in the McMinnville appellation, and this block is home to its oldest planting of Pinot Noir. That makes these Pommard vines nearly 30 years old. And yet this harvest from Oct. 14 marks Stephen Cary’s eighth single-block wine produced at Yamhill Valley Vineyards. It’s a showy Pinot Noir with alluring aromatics of … [Read more...] about Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2012 Tall Poppy Single Block Designate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $75