Contributed by Allie Merrick, My Wine Words

When it comes to what's being poured in Oregon, the points given to the wineries of Northwest Wines To You deem these wines winners. Some wines get ribbons & points awarded for simply existing. These wines, however, earn their points with every pour. How do I know? I've tasted them myself. Josh Raynolds represents Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Wine Access) with words to define a selection of Oregon wines in a way that paints a description on your palate. I quite agree with his summation of the following sip-worthy bottles.

Cheers,
Allie


1789 Wines
Josh Raynolds
2009 Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Chehalem Mountains($48) Bright ruby-red.  Seductive bouquet of raspberry, mulberry, star anise and rose oil, plus a hint of musky herbs.  Supple and seamless on the palate, with fresh red and dark berry flavors picking up a musky character with air.  Fine-grained tannins add shape and grip to the finish, which features a smoky hint of black cardamom.  This drinks very well now with some decanting. 91

2008 Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Chehalem Mountains($48) Deep, bright red.  Intensely perfumed scents of black raspberry, cherry-cola, sassafras and dried flowers.  Juicy and precise in the mouth, offering sweet red and dark berry flavors and a touch of bitter chocolate.  The floral note comes back on the very long, penetrating finish, which features a suave floral quality and zesty minerality. 92


Arterberry Maresh
Josh Raynolds
2008 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills($25) Bright red.  Spicy red berries on the nose, with deeper notes of cherry pit and wilted rose adding complexity.  Sappy, deeply pitched red fruit flavors display good energy and pick up a smoky quality with aeration.  Finishes dry and precise, with lingering notes of redcurrant and bitter cherry. 90

2009 Pinot Noir Juliard Vineyard Dundee Hills($55) Vivid red.  Complex bouquet of red fruit, potpourri and mocha, with a zesty mineral quality adding lift.  Dry, mineral-accented redcurrant and bitter cherry flavors pick up spiciness with air and show a linear, tightly focused quality.  Unfolds with aeration, gaining sweetness and finishing with very good definition and sneaky length.  I'd let this rest for a while longer. 90(+?)

2008 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard Dundee Hills($75) Hazy medium red.  Raspberry, cherry-cola and spices on the nose, with a sexy floral quality adding complexity.  Red and dark berry flavors show impressive intensity and become spicier with aeration, picking up notes of cherry pit and rose pastille.  Really stains the palate but there's no excess weight here.  The finish is spicy, pure and very long, with a heavy emphasis on sweet red fruit.  This is lovely right now. 93


Artisanal Wine Cellars
Josh Raynolds
2008 Pinot Noir Adam's Vineyard Chehalem Mountains($28) Deep ruby.
Smoky aromas of cherry pit, black raspberry and sassafras, plus a hint of dried flowers.  Chewy and a touch bitter, offering cherry and roasted coffee flavors and a brighter note of orange zest on the back half.  The sweet finish betrays a hint of warmth, with the cherry note repeating. 87

2008 Pinot Noir Adam's Vineyard Reserve Chehalem Mountains($38) Ruby-red.
Aromas of black raspberry and cherry, with complicating notes of anise and dried rose.  Rich but lively as well, offering sappy red and dark berry flavors that show good depth and structure.  Finishes smooth and gently sweet, with the dark berry note repeating. 89


Carlton Hill Wine Company
Josh Raynolds
2009 Pinot Noir Yamhill Carlton District($40) Medium red.  Redcurrant and cherry aromas are complemented by herb and smoke nuances, along with a hint of cracked pepper.  Tightly wound and a bit tart, with good focus to the lively red berry and bitter cherry flavors.  I like this wine's energy but some more flesh would have been nice.  The finish is tangy, refreshingly bitter and nicely persistent.  88

2008 Pinot Noir Yamhill Carlton District($40) Bright ruby-red.  High-pitched aromas of raspberry, cherry and rose, with an appealing spicecake quality and a hint of vanilla.  Juicy, focused and spicy on the palate, offering incisive red fruit flavors that give way to a deeper cherry quality on the back half.  Finishes on a smoky note, with very good length and a repeating spice note.  Drinks well now but has the balance to age. 90

2009 Pinot Noir Reserve Willamette Valley($50) Bright ruby.  Explosively perfumed, oak-accented nose evokes black raspberry, cherry-cola and smoky Indian spices, with a sneaky floral quality building with air.  Sappy, densely packed red and dark berry flavors show liqueur-like intensity but are impressively energetic.  The spicy quality comes back strong on the finish, which clings with very good tenacity.  I'd let this one age for at least another few years. 92


CAW Wines
Josh Raynolds
2008 CAW Wines Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton District
($36) Bright ruby-red.  Sexy, fruit-dominated bouquet of raspberry and blackberry preserves, potpourri and Asian spices.  Sappy, vaguely jammy dark berry flavors show very good depth and a seamless texture, with a hint of smokiness on the back half.  Very attractive wine with suave finishing sweetness and very good length.  This is delicious right now.


Dion Vineyard
Josh Raynolds
2009 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley($21) Light, bright red.  Bright and fresh, with aromas and flavors of dried flowers, strawberry, raspberry and redcurrant.  Crisp and light-bodied, with modest concentration.  The brisk finish shows good bit.  This is very easy to drink. 87

2009 Pinot Noir Winemakers Reserve Chehalem Mountains($32) Medium red.  Red berries and sassafras on the nose, with complicating notes of dried flowers and black tea.  Taut and focused on entry, then plumper in the middle, offering juicy raspberry and cherry flavors and a late note of white pepper.  Finishes with good cut and a slightly dry edge, the spicy note repeating.    88


Dukes Family Vineyards
Josh Raynolds
2008 Pinot Noir Nipple Hill Eola Amity Hills($60) Vivid red.  High-pitched aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, spicecake and rose, with deeper cola and vanilla notes slowly building in the glass.  Juicy, well-delineated red fruit and floral flavors show an appealing and refreshing spicy character but not rough edges.  The red fruit notes repeat on the silky, persistent finish.  This is drinking very well right now. 90

2008 Pinot Noir Alyssa Eola Amity Hills($48) Bright red.  Complex bouquet evokes wild red berries, spicecake and dried rose, along with a touch of blood orange and subtle smokiness.  Juicy and precise, offering tangy red fruit flavors and a hint of bitter licorice.  The nicely focused finish repeats the cherry note and clings with very good tenacity. 89

2008 Pinot Noir Bella Willamette Valley($48) Bright ruby-red.  Black raspberry, cherry and licorice on the nose, along with exotic notes of allspice, anise and cinnamon.  Juicy red fruit flavors are underscored by a zesty mineral quality and show a strong spicy quality.  Bitter cherry and mineral notes linger on the firm, nervy finish, which features subtle spice and smoke notes.  No excess weight here. 90


Elkhorn Ridge Vineyards & Winery
Josh Raynolds
2008 Pinot Noir La Terre Foss Willamette Valley($35) Deep ruby-red.  Musky aromas of cherry skin and blackberry are complemented by notes of licorice and smoked meat.  Fleshy and broad, with spicy dark fruit flavors joined by smoky, herbal nuances.  The blackberry notes returns on the sweet, clinging finish.  89


Ghost Hill Cellars
Josh Raynolds
2009 Pinot Noir Prospector's Reserve Yamhill-Carlton District($60) Bright ruby.  Intensely perfumed bouquet of blackberry, cherry-cola, black tea, allspice and violet.  Ripe and broad on entry, then firmer in the mid-palate, offering sappy dark berry flavors underscored by a smoky mineral quality.  Puts on weight with aeration and finishes with resonating smoke and jammy dark fruit notes.  A bigger wine than the regular Bayliss-Bower bottling: I suspect that some tasters will prefer that wine's finesse to this one's richness. 90(+?)

2009 Pinot Noir Bayliss Bower Vineyard Yamhill Carlton District($42) Vivid ruby.  Ripe cherry and black raspberry on the nose, with complicating notes of smoky herbs, rose and spicecake.  Fleshy and smooth in texture, with gently sweet cherry and dark berry flavors picking up a touch of anise with air.  Shows the ripeness of the vintage to good effect, finishing broad and long.  This will be drinkable soon. 90


Johan Vineyards
Josh Raynolds
2009 Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Willamette Valley ($28) Medium red.  Raspberry, cinnamon and white pepper on the nose, with a suave floral nuance gaining strength with air.  This spicy, incisive midweight offers lively red fruit flavors and a subtle undertone of candied rose.  Dry and tangy on the finish, with a late peppery note. 88

2008 Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Willamette Valley ($28) Bright ruby-red.  Oak-spiced raspberry and cherry on the nose, with a suave gingerbread nuance and slow-building smokiness.  Sappy and precise on the palate, with lively red fruit flavors and notes of cinnamon and star anise.  Finishes spicy and long but a touch clenched, with firming tannins and lingering smokiness.  I suspect that this will open up with a few more years of bottle age. 89(+?)

2008 Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Nils Reserve Willamette Valley ($45) Bright ruby.  Black raspberry, cherry-cola and spicecake aromas show very good clarity and a suave hint of fresh rose.  Bright and incisive on the palate, offering tangy red and dark berry flavors and a late note of blood orange.  Finishes spicy, energetic and focused.  This lithe, sexy pinot clocks in at 12.8% alcohol. 92


Kelley Fox Wines
Josh Raynolds
2009 Pinot Noir Mirabai Pinot Noir Mcminnville($35) Light red.  High-pitched aromas of strawberry, redcurrant and gingerbread, with a hint of musky rhubarb.  Taut and incisive on entry, then silkier and more broad in the middle palate, offering sappy red fruit flavors that show a refreshingly bitter edge.  Dry, precise and focused on the finish, which echoes the strawberry note.  Very nicely balanced wine that could be drunk now or held for a couple more years. 91


Winter's Hill Vineyard
Josh Raynolds
2009 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley($22) Vivid red.  An intensely perfumed bouquet displays scents of raspberry preserves, potpourri and incense, with an exotic spicy overlay.  Silky and sweet, offering spicy red berry flavors and a palate-numbing lashing of white pepper.  Juicy and precise on the finish, which leaves red fruit and floral notes behind.  This is flat-out delicious. 90

2008 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills($29) Vivid ruby.  Ripe, expansive aromas of dark berries, cherry-cola and violet, lifted by a spicy overtone.  Smoky, oak-spiced red and dark berry flavors show impressive depth and pick up sweetness with air.  At once rich and energetic, finishing with excellent back-end cut and persistent spiciness.  This is really suave and drinking well for a 2008, but it will age too. 91

2008 Pinot Noir Cuvee De Vigneron Dundee Hills($39) Dark ruby.  Heady aromas of black raspberry and cola, with smoky Indian spices and vanilla adding complexity.  Sappy, penetrating dark berry and floral pastille flavors show striking intensity and depth, with tangy acidity adding lift.  Tannins make a late appearance and add shape and grip to the very long, spicy finish.  This deserves some patience but it's delicious now with some aeration. 92

2008 Pinot Noir Reserve Dundee Hills($50) Deep ruby.  Slow to open, reluctantly displaying cherry and blackberry scents and a hint of licorice.  Deeper in pitch and weightier than the other '08s from this producer, with ripe, palate-coating dark fruit flavors and a hint of candied violet.  Pretty well shut down right now and somewhat tough to read, but the depth of fruit is obvious.  Let this one rest. 90(+?)

Source: Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Josh Raynolds) via Wine Access


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