2004 Tyrus Evan Ciel Du Cheval Claret

Tyrus Evan is Ken Wright's small boutique winery. It produces Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah and Claret, all in small quantities. We came across it the first time quite by accident. Their tasting room is in the old railway station in Carlton. We tasted through a flight and fell in love with the Clarets.

The nose of the 2004 Ciel Du Cheval is peppery, with red fruit and a touch of (as Gary V. would call it) poop. On the palate I get ripe raspberry and blackberry, ripe plumbs, solid tannins, and a peppery, cherry finish that lingers nicely. I find it to be surprisingly fruit-forward. The nose would lead you to believe it will be much heavier in tannins and pepper, but it it balanced nicely.

As I drink this, my wife and I both agree another trip to Willamette is necessary. This was our last bottle of the Tyrus Evan and we need to stock up.

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.

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.

2006 White Rose Nekaia Pinot Noir

White Rose was an accidental, but fantastic discover in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Every time I go to a wine region, I try and ask the tasting room people what wines (besides their own, of course) they are in to. A few years back, White Rose was pretty much the consensus pick. A visit proved the rumors to be true, and I discovered what has been my favorite Oregon Pinot Noir ever, the Michelle. Unfortunately, the Michelle was a single release (if you find it, buy it immediately), but the last visit proved the Michelle wasn't a fluke and I came home with 5 bottles of the 2006 Nekaia, and a bottle of the 2006 Estate which I'll review another time.

The nose is fantastick. Fruity... I think of plumbs and cherries with a bit of vanilla. It is a light ruby-garnet color.

The taste is quite good. Fruity, with solid acid, light tannins. Strawberries and ripe cherries. The finish is a bit peppery, with a vanilla-carmel flavor that lingers. The finish is long and dies into a slight bitter flavor, but not what I would call bitter chocolate.

This is a lovely, drinkable Pinot Noir. I did decant it, but drank it straight away. The balance is excellent as-is. Don't think those other 4 bottles are going to stay in the cellar too long.