• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	02/29/2008
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Cartlidge and Browne
Vintage:	2006
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Napa Valley
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Dark red plum flavor with a hint of spice.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	02/29/2008
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Robert Mondavi
Vintage:	2006
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:
Rating:	9/10
Notes: Sleek light red fruity pinot
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Chile
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	11/22/2007
Price Range**:	$
Winery:	Anakena
Vintage:	2007
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	Chile
Region:
Appellation:	Central Valley
Rating:	6/10
Notes: Lighter ruby-colored pinot tasting of overly soured light fruit and berries. Medium-bodied with nice tannins, but not all that drinkable. No different then previous vintage.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Napa Valley
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	12/27/2007
Price Range**:	$
Winery:	Ramsay
Vintage:	2006
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Napa Valley
Rating:	6/10
Notes: Nice pinot noir with lighter red fruit, although too tart and peppery for our liking.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	12/28/2007
Price Range**:	$
Winery:	McManis Family Vineyards
Vintage:	2007
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Nicely balanced, well-priced pinot with lighter red ruby color and fruit on the nose. Nice touch of fruit blended with a touch of spice.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Chile
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	12/14/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Anakena
Vintage:	2006
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	Chile
Region:
Appellation:	Central Valley
Rating:	6/10
Notes: Lighter ruby-colored pinot tasting of overly soured light fruit and berries. Medium-bodied with nice tannins, but not all that drinkable.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	12/14/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Three Saints
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Santa Maria Valley
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Deep berry and fruit flavors, slightly jammy with cherry aromas. Similar to Bella Glos Pinot Noir.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	12/19/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Jack Creek
Vintage:	2004
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Santa Lucia Highlands
Rating:	9/10
Notes: Extremely sophisticated pinot noir with lightness and sweetness, well-balanced with red fruit, violets, and a hint of spice.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Italy
• Pinot Noir

Apparently, there are a few modern Gregory Mendels tinkering with the genetic makeup of various plants, especially wine grapes, most likely because the grape is such a cash crop. Who doesn't like grapes after all? Nobody, that's who. But some grapes have become extremely popular of late since a critically-acclaimed movie or two haved hyped one varietal over another.

Italian scientists have cracked open the genetic make-up of Pinot Noir, responsible for the great red wines of Burgundy, in a breakthrough that may lead to hardier vines and cheaper fine wines.

The researchers said on Wednesday they had found more than 2 million genetic variants within the Pinot Noir grape, providing winegrowers with a "treasure trove" in the hunt for new strains.

Pinot Noir, made famous by the 2004 film Sideways, has been dubbed the "heartbreak grape" because it is so difficult to grow and susceptible to disease.

Pinot is one of our favorites at the moment, mostly because the pinots of California and Oregon are so very very good, but we've started to run into the higher end pinots. It's truly prohibitive to drink such expensive wine regularly unless one has started his own vineyard or technology company in wine country.

If modern science can perfect the pinot grape to make it much hardier than we're all for it. Pinots are wine grapes too, and getting a bottle of Goldeneye or Jack Creek Cellars for under $30 would suit us just fine.

• France
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	11/28/2007
Price Range**:	$
Winery:	Pinot Evil
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	France
Region:
Appellation:
Rating:	4/10
Notes: Very poor. Overly sour with plenty of alcohol. No complexity to speak of and a little watery. A relatively inexpensive wine, but that doesn't excuse the poor quality, and the stupid name.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	10/20/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Brogan Cellar
Vintage:	2006
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Russian River Valley
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Aromas of cherries, cola, spice and smoked meats, entry full with a bright lingering finish of red fruits and spice. - Brogan Cellar
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	10/20/2007
Price Range**:	$$$$
Winery:	Archery Summit
Vintage:	1999
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	Oregon
Appellation:	Willamette Valley
Rating:	10/10
Notes: This darkly colored wine opens up with classic aromas of violets, ripe raspberries, dark cherries, carnations, cinnamon and minerals. In the mouth the wine is long and broad with an intense finish. The tannins are supple, ripe and well integrated. Loaded with true Arcus Estate terroir flavors and intense aromatics the 1999 Arcus Estate is a classic example of this estate vineyard site. - Archery Summit
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Pinot Noir

So what do you do when you install a brick oven in your entertaining room so you can make pizzas with that real restaurant, brick oven crust and flavor?  Well, you have all the foodies in town over for an experimental pizza night, the local organic grower, some of the faculty from the culinary institute, a few restauranteurs, you know the usual.  Problem with this is that you're now obligated to serve wine that wows everyone.  Ok, so that's not exactly a problem, but picking out something that will impress a bunch of foodies as well as not breaking the budget and also getting something that's drinkable and pairs with special pizzas is also nice.

Being a bunch of nutty pinot noir fans, we naturally brought a couple of bottles over to the party, and persuaded the hosts to break out some of their more interesting recent acquisitions.

We splurged and brought a bottle of Brogan Cellars 2006 Pinot Noir.  sparrowine.com has this to say about the wine.

The Brogan Cellar begins in the 70’s when Margi Wierenga caught the winemaking bug watching her father, Burt Williams; make the first wines of what would become one of California’s most famous Wineries, William-Selyem. Margi’s notes: Aged 15 months in French oak this wine is medium to light ruby colored. Red Bing cherry and sweet spice bouquet with cherries, earth, cola and spice in the flavors, long lingering fruit filled finish. As always a favorite for many. Very modest tannins. Will age 7-10 years.

Don't get us wrong.  This is an absolutely fantastic bottle of wine, but the fact remains that most of the guests were wowed by our host who produced two magnums of Belle Glos Pinot Noir from 2005.  That and the fact that the Belle Glos sells for about half the price of the uppity bottle from Brogan Cellar.

The host then produced a bottle of 1999 Archery Summit Arcus Estate Pinot Noir, but only in the 375ml size since the vintage is completely sold out.

This wine has been ranked in the mid nineties by the Wine Spectator, and it was stellar to say the least.  This is one of our all-time favorite wines, and in fact, the vineyard got us hooked on the cuvees in the later vintages.  One can find the more common offerings from this winery at wine.com and other interesting places that carry wine such as Sam's Club.

• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	10/05/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	David Hill
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	Oregon
Appellation:	Willamette Valley
Rating:	6/10
Notes: Very distinctive nose with plenty of herbs, slightly musty. Taste of raspberries and other red fruits. Dark red color, light on the tannins.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	10/05/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	A to Z
Vintage:	2006
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	Oregon
Appellation:	Willamette Valley
Rating:	6/10
Notes: Raspberries and other red fruits. Hint of asparagus, pepper and smoke. Deep red ruby color.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	10/05/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Elk Cove
Vintage:	2006
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	Oregon
Appellation:	Willamette Valley
Rating:	6/10
Notes: Disappointing. Nice peach and floral nose and taste, but overall a little sour and vinegary.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	10/03/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Eola Hills
Vintage:	2006
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	Oregon
Appellation:	Willamette Valley
Rating:	7/10
Notes: Dark ruby red pinot with fruit, pepper, and smoke on the nose. Little if any tannins with taste of ripe fruit with raspberries and dark cherries.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	09/01/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	David Bruce
Vintage:	2004
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Sonoma
Rating:	7/10
Notes: Fruity with notes of strawberry and blueberry. Somewhat acidic with a sour note, which taints the overall drinkability.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

So half-priced wine night is very nearly a standing tradition.  If one's willing to venture out on the occasional school night, then he is bound to find that dozen's of his favorite restaurants are enticing customers into their establishments on slower days of the week by tempting them with half-priced bottles of wine.  For us this means that you have to gather together a few friends since we find it difficult to finish and entire bottle of wine with a meal even with two people sharing.  Too much wine is not a good thing especially if you are required to stumble into work in the morning, but not only is a hangover or dehydration hard to deal with, we find that too much wine simply spoils some of the experience.  Put us down for moderation when it comes to wine, even if you do find your favorite restaurant is selling bottles at half-priced wine night for less than you can find them in the grocery store.

We must say that part of the reason we encourage everyone not to overinduldge is that you risk the possibility that some of your libation will be left over at the end of the meal.  Now, it's altogether legal to recork the bottle and take it home with you, but sometimes wine gets left in your automobile or ruins while sitting on your counter.  We were on the receiving end of someone's failure to remember this point the other night when a friend left to us half a bottle of wine that is normally north of the century mark in terms of price.  As we said before, this is normally a bit too much for two people when accompanied by dinner and a first bottle.

The bottle we were fortunate enough to happen upon was the Tantara Dierberg Pinot Noir - 2005, which we found to be somewhat disappointing considering the extravagant expense that it represented for our overly ambitious fellow diner. Our impression of the wine was ruled by the syrupy sweetness that overpowered most of the other characteristics evoking a lot of descriptive words associated with sugary sweetness, like syrupy or honey-like.  The taste was of red fruit and was definitely distinctive but was hard to truly enjoy for the intense sweetness that clung to your tongue like cold molasses.

Winemaker's notes: 

Our first bottle we found to be quite enjoyable and something that the restaurant had run out of a few times previously.  In fact this wine happens to be a "biodynamic" offering that truly transcends its vinicultural upbringing in that it is truly a quality wine, whatever the bio suffix might be.

The Maysara Jamsheed Pinot Noir - 2005 is from a winemaker that is grown in stature in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

Winemaker's notes:

TASTING NOTES
Color has never been a problem at our Momtazi vineyard, and the 2005 vintage was no exception The dark ubergine color of the 2005 Jamsheed Pinot noir makes a statement before one even picks up the glass. On first approach, it yields dark aromas of smoky-coffee, cocoa, dark fruit and sweetly spicy forest underbrush.  The darkly earthen sense of the wine carries onto the palate, where terroir-derived spice, black berries and dark herries produce a rich mouth feel. Balanced acidity and fine-grained tannin keep the fruit lingering in the mouth, while cutting nicely through food. This is a wine that’s ready now and will only continue to improve.
WINEGROWER’S COMMENTS
The 2005 Jamsheed is a well represented blend of the entire vineyard and showcases the purity of fruit possible. Only 8% new oak was employed, allowing the natural tannins from whole cluster fermentation to shine through. This resulted in a vibrant bouquet of dominate red and black fruits. The separate fermentations
averaged two and a half weeks at a peak temperature of 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Soft punch-downs utilizing a Pulse-Air system allowed the softer tannins to flow evenly throughout the wine. Jamsheed was barreled down without settling the lees and was racked once immediately before bottling.
VINEYARD AND WINEMAKING PRINCIPLES
At Maysara Winery and Momtazi Vineyard, we are committed to capturing the complete expression of our land and conveying it to you through superior quality in every bottle. We practice only low-impact, holistic farming methods in our certified Biodynamic vineyard. We are confident these principles are the best way to capture the true essence of the soil in our fruit and ensure the health of our vines and the unique accent of our terroir for generations. This philosophy is carried into the cellar, where gentle winemaking practices produce wines with intensity, sophistication and elegance while maintaining a purity of both fruit and earth.

• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	08/07/2007
Price Range**:	$$$$
Winery:	Tantara
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Santa Maria Valley
Rating:	7/10
Notes: Plenty of floral notes notes to a red fruit body, including hints of orange. Syrupy sweet with honey, nutmeg, and vanilla.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	08/07/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Maysara
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	Oregon
Appellation:	McMinnville
Rating:	8/10
Notes: A solid biodynamic wine with a deep dense jammy taste of raisins and figs, somewhat unique to a pinot. Finishes well with some smoke and spice.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	07/31/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Fiddlehead
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Santa Rita Hills
Rating:	9/10
Notes: Excellent blend of cherries and lush ripe fruit. Just the right amount of coffee and spice on the finish. A well-rounded wine.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Pinot Noir
• Sonoma

Review Date:	07/11/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Iron Horse
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Sonoma
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Nicely balanced. Has nice roundness with plenty of fruit. Soft and elegant like a great pinot noir. Flavors of strawberry and cherry.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Pinot Noir
• Sonoma

Review Date:	07/12/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Hartford Family
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Sonoma
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Ripe black cherries and blackberries with plenty of spice and coffee flavors as well. Nicely balanced. We rated this somewhat lower than the critics as it was outshone by a few other Pinots we've had.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	07/12/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Schug
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Carneros
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Cherries, berries, and a hint of spice.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

Well, we've clearly jumped on the Pinot Noir bandwagon like every other sap who watched that movie Sideways, which wasn't a bad flick but definitely not the movie everyone wanted to make it out to be.  Anyway, everyone has that problem with picking out a wine to take to someone else's place when they're going to be serving you a fine dinner, especially on a holiday.  Compounding the difficulty of trying to decide what to bring and wanting, maybe not to impress so much as to give the hosts a great experience since they're doing all the work, there is that added complexity of picking a wine that you can serve to them, something that is going to complement their meal.  But how often do you know what is being served?  We'd wager about 50% of the time we have no idea what we're picking wine out to complement.  It's certainly a quadry of the highest order when you're not sure what wine will go best with a dish you know nothing about.

Being the pinot junkies that we are, naturally we gravitate to that section of the wine store when trying to decide just what exactly we'd like to bring to someone's dinner party.  Not only that, but in our estimation pinot is the perfect wine to bring when you don't know what to bring.  Pinot can be enjoyed by everyone, the simplest reason for bringing it in the first place.  It can even be quaffed by those nuts who refuse to drink any reds for fear that it will make them loopy since good pinots have a nice roundness to them that puts them somewhere between the oaky chardonnays and the huge Rhone or Bordeaux reds.  That sort of drinkability is hard to come by, but the benefits are enormous in that even if not ideally paired with the food, the chances are that it'll come as close to ideal as possible.  But we think the point is that even if the pinot is drunk with something as big and bold as marinated lamb or grilled fillets, the wine is going to be just so good despite the imbalance.

So on the fourth we went for a lobster and seafood feast, not knowing beforehand exactly what fare we'd see at dinner.  Stopping off at the wine store, we selected two Oregon pinots for the dinner Raptor Ridge Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2005 and the Cristom Mt. Jefferson Pinot Noir, also a 2005.

The results were pretty impressive.  Although the seafood was shellfish with some butter and herbal flavoring, the pinot went well with the lobster and clams since the wine wasn't overpowering, it didn't ruin the light minerality of the clams and didn't impinge on the subtlety of the lobster.

Most of the experts will even refrain from pairing red wines with seafood of any kind except for the very safe pinot noir with salmon pairing that we suppose most sommeliers would be quick to identify, and yet the rule of thumb generally remains for most people just drink whites with white meat (seafood, poultry, pork) and reds with dark meat (beef, lamb, etc.).  These rules are definitely too strident for us, and we've found that a number of wine critics and food writers are a lot more flexible than they have been in the past.  We wouldn't say it's really so simple as drinking exactly what you like all the time since familiarity breeds affection, making the choices for wine with meals extremely one-dimensional as we continually opt for the same wines again and again, so no it's not quite that simple.  Then again, you need to enjoy the wine you drink.  Don't be afraid to take pinots to dinner parties, and don't be afraid to drink pinots with seafood or chardonnays with pork.

Incidentally, here's what the people are saying about the Raptor Ridge and the Cristom.

Cristom winemaker's notes:

This medium ruby colored Pinot Noir has a nose dominated at the moment with a plethora of exotic spices and herbs. Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander, green tea, tobacco and gun smoke can all be found mingling with the fruit. The flavors are just as exotic with black cherries and currants overlain with savory dried herbs. Although this is a medium weight wine, it is multi-faceted and has adequate acidity and just enough grip to benefit from moderate aging.

Raptor Ridge winemaker's notes:

2005 was a warm, dry vintage with significant ‘heat unit accumulation’ mitigated by light rains during veraison. Thankfully, those cooling rains rehydrated the vines and fruit, slowing the ripening process and preventing dehydration. Grapes for our Willamette Valley Pinot noir were sourced from growing sites in Oregon’s Yamhill and Washington Counties. The 2005 Willamette Valley blend consists of grapes from the following vineyards, listed from highest to lowest volume: Stony Mountain Vineyard/Pommard, Hawks View Vineyard/667 and Wadenswil, Meredith Mitchell Vineyard/Pommard, Yamhill Springs Vineyard/115, Bellevue Cross Vineyard/Pommard and Shea Vineyard/114.

Harvested between October 6 and 17, must chemistry on the combined lots ranged from 22.5 to 24 brix, TAs from 5.6 to 7.4, and pH from 3.20 to 3.42. Light amendments of Tartaric acid were made to some of the riper lots. Grapes were 100% destemmed into 1.5 ton fermenters and cool
soaked at cellar temperature for four to six days. Select strains of commercial yeasts were added to all fermenters, with the exception of the Yamhill Springs tank. Wines were aged in a selection of French oak barrels, with an average of 38% new oak, in cooperage from Ramond, Ermitage, Francois Frere, Cadus, Seguin Moreau, and Dargaud/Jaegle.

The 2005 Willamette Valley is light in color, with brilliant ruby clarity. Some tartrate crystals formed in vitro. Slightly reductive,
meaty notes when first opened give way to high toned fruit and brown spice aromas with more time in the glass. Flavors of pomegranate and
vanilla wash by with good mid-palate weight. The wine concludes with a youthful tartness and lengthy finish on the palate. Drink from 2008
through 2012.

• California
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	07/05/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Francis Coppola
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Monterey
Rating:	7/10
Notes: Bright red ruby color. Aroma of smoke and mushrooms with some berries. Taste was that of cherries and some strawberries, but struggles from thinness and lack of distinction and polish.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	07/04/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Raptor Ridge
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	Oregon
Appellation:	Willamette Valley
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Somewhat disappointing for a super-premium low-yield pinot noir from the Willamette Valley. Still a fine drink though it suffers from a thinness and fruitiness unlike some of the richer pinot products from the same area. Has excellent fruity flavors with notes of strawberry and pomegranate.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	07/04/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Cristom
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	Oregon
Appellation:	Willamette Valley
Rating:	9/10
Notes: Soft and subtle enough to pair with rich seafood like lobster but still velvety and rich with darker fruit with hints of blackberry to cherry to strawberry in that order. Finish is long with suggestions of smoke and pepper.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Oregon
• Pinot Noir

Review Date:	03/03/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Four Graces
Vintage:	2003
Varieties:	Pinot Noir
Country:	US
Region:	Oregon
Appellation:	Willamette Valley
Rating:	8/10
Notes: This Pinot Noir marks its voluptuous impression immediately, rose petals,almond tones and a red fruit mix finishing with soft oak and vanilla tones. - Four Graces
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100