Oregon Pinot Noir Camp - Wine Tasting 2004
Set 1 - $50 and below

2002 Adelsheim, $28
Adelsheim was founded in 1972, but recently (2001) brought on a new winemaker, David Paige. This was the lightest and gentlest of the pinot noirs we tasted. There were flavors of cherry and raspberry, with a light tartness that hit the sides of your tongue. The finish faded away rather quickly.

2002 Argyle Reserve, $30
Argyle began in 1987 as a collaboration between owners from Texas and Australia. This pinot was bright and juicy, with smooth raspberry flavors. Some enjoyed this for its easy drinking qualities.

2002 Panther Creek Shea Vineyard, $42
This was one of my favorites in the first set, and not just because it has my name! It was smooth with a great balance between nice acidity and gentle tannins. The flavors were complex but not in-your-face. There were cherry flavors and a medium amount of heft to the wine, with a lingering finish. Panther Creek was founded in 1986.

2002 Cristom Eileen Vineyard, $48
Paul and Eileen Gerrie established this vineyard in 1992. With light tannins and gentle fruit, the wine had a nice balance with a soft cherry finish. Some found this to be great for its soft flavors.

2002 Penner-Ashe, $50
This was my other favorite from the first set of wines. It had a gorgeous aroma, with full berry flavors, medium tannins and a long, lovely finish. Some were initially put off by the tannins in this wine, but it went beautifully with the food provided. Owner Lynn Penner-Ash has degrees in both enology and viticulture, and had worked at many famous wineries in Napa Valley before setting up Penner-Ash in 1997.

The Appetizers
The first appetizer was a three nut crusted goat cheese with red and yellow beets. The flavors were quite gentle, and as most winedrinkers know, cheese tends to really mellow out the flavors of a wine. It's always wise to taste a wine BEFORE you eat the cheese, to see what it really tastes like. Once you have that cheese, the tannins in a wine tend to "vanish" as a result.

The second appetizer wasn't quite as well matched. The duck confit spring rolls were lovely, but the "sweet" chili dipping sauce was rather spicy. One taste of that sauce and suddenly a lot of water was necessary before any flavors could be found in the wines.

Set 2 - $54 and above
Pinot Camp Main Tasting Notes

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