2004 Torii Mor Pinot Noir

Torii Mor has a lovely Japanese-themed tasting room in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I've always found their wines to be hit or miss. On one trip, their whites will be great, and on another their reds. Digging through the wine cellar, I found a bottle of their 2004 Hawks View Vineyard Pinot Noir stashed in a corner and decided to open it.

The first shock was the color. It was light, but had a brown-ruby color. I was surprised by the color. It waasn't offputting, but definitely had a strange color.

I found the nose to be a bit tight an hour after opening it. It had a hint of carmel and red fruit. On the palate, it seemed pretty well balanced. The acids and tannins were nicely balanced. The oak comes though as carmel and lingers in the finish. The fruit is a blend of strawberry and raspberry. Overall it is light on the palate and has a nice finish.

This is not my personal favorite style of Pinot Noir, but it is a nice Pinot for sipping.

2007 Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a continuation of the Purple experience from Monday night. We had tasted the Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon and really liked it. We were lucky to grab a bottle at Esquin for $10.99. I've had it open for about 30 minutes, so it has breathed a bit, but I suspect it will get a bit better over the next hour or so.

The nose is different than I remember it. Perhaps because it needs to breathe more, but I get nice black fruit and marinated meat. The marinated meat had me smelling it over and over trying to identify the aroma. But I fine it to be reminiscent of Korean kalbi. I also get alcohol in the nose, perhaps again because it needs to breathe.

On the palate I get fruit and tanins. I'm thinking sweet fruit. Like current jam, with a nice finish into a sweet mocha. There is a small amount of acid that seems well balanced. As much as I think it needs to breathe to open up the nose, it is really nice on the palate for a $10 wine. I can't imagine saving it. It seems ready to drink now. Overall, quite a find for $10. I'll try and give it an hour and update. Really, I mean try. Honestly I don't know if it will make it that long without being finished off...

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OK, revisit. The nose has opened up slightly and is more fruity. I get more blackberry aroma, but the marinated meat is still there. The palate has become a bit more fruity as the tannins dye out a bit. Still a drink now wine. Still quite a value at $10 a bottle.

2007 Vina Chocalan Carmenere

Tonight the wife and I went to Purple Wine Bar in Seattle and drank our way through two flights. There were several stand out wines, and that prompted a trip to Esquin on the way home. We arrived right after they closed, but Esquin being the great company they are let us in for a quick buy. The were sold out of the Carmenere we went in for, but they recommended the Vina Chocalan. At $10.99 a bottle, it was hard to say no.

Carmenere is a very interesting grape. It always seems to really reflect the terroir, with bold and interesting aromas and flavors. This one didn't fail to impress.

The nose is green. Grassy, and herby (basil, oregano), with a slight gasoline aroma. A second sniff gives me a bit of clothes dye and manure. None of this is bad, despite what you might think!

The wine has a surprisingly fruity mid-palate. It has a nice note of red fruits. I think of ripe raspberries. It has nice tannins and a definite, pronounced bitterness. A second taste keeps the fruit, but has a definite pepper and herb component.

This reminds me that I don't drink enough Carmenere. it is a lovely grape and seems to run such a wide gamut of flavors and aromas. I can't praise the Vina Chocalan enough. At its price point, it is a fantastic buy for a very fun wine.

2006 Hudson-Shaw Riesling

I came across Woodhouse Family Cellars quite by accident. Costco (who doesn't love Costco for whine) had a lovely Kennedy Shaw Tempranillo what had me completely fascinated. When I learned that they were in Woodinville, a trip was in order.

Unfortunately, they were not tasting the Tempranillo or the Petit Verdot, which I was dying to try. Instead they had a focus on their whites. After the round of tasting, the 2006 Hudson-Shaw Riesling stood out as a real winner.

It is always good when a bottle of wine lives up to your memories of the tasting. As I'm sure many can relate, sometimes you get "tasting fever" (e.g. drunk) and lose your ability to discrimitate. A simple sniff of the wine told me this wasn't an unjustified purchase. The nose has a lovely melon-apple smell with overtones of honey. It is fairly low alchohol at 12.4% so I don't get it in the nose. On the palate, it is slightly sweet with honey and apple flavors, finishing to a nice ripe melon. I think honeydew melon. The acid is complimentary, although a bit in the background. The finish is long with a nice sweetness, although this definitely isn't a dessert wine.

If you like your rieslings sweet, but not raisin-y, you should give it a try. Overall a nice wine. We paired it with a vegetarian casserole with kidney beans, tomatoes, zuchini and a corn bread crust.

Lovely.

2005 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir

I first went to WillaKenzie about 7 years ago. As I mentioned in a previous post, I usually ask the tasting room people what they like to drink and at the time people were raving about the WillaKenzie whites. They were, in fact, quite good. They overshadowed the reds.

Years later, I've had a hard time laying my hands on the whites, but that's OK, the reds are quite good. The nose has a nice plum and cherry aroma. The oak is light, lending a slight vanilla scent.

On the palate, the wine is light with plum and cherry flavors as revealed in the nose. It has a slight spiciness. I get a creamy flavor in the mid palate that is really good. It finishes to a slight bitterness.

I like this wine. I had it with a ribeye steak covered in a red wine and mushroom reduction and roasted root vegetables. It paired well, with enough left in the bottle to enjoy as a sipping wine.