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By Chuck Hill

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Wines of the Week
Originally published July 1, 2008

Yuppies Taste Pinots with Salmon
Second column of a Pinot Noir series (see part 1)
By Chuck Hill

It was the mid-1970s - bell-bottom pants, long hair, etc. - when a group of young urban professionals first began meeting to taste and learn about wine.  I joined the Yuppie A-hole Tasting Group in the second decade of their existence and have been part of this intrepid cadre for nearly 20 years.  We recently met to evaluate some Pinot Noirs with salmon.  This was one of the only tastings in the memory of the group where nearly every wine was unflawed and most were darned tasty with the fish.  Salmon grilled up by Kurt Fresh included Copper River Sockeye and SW Alaska White King.

The wines:

Willamette Valley Vineyards
2006 Signature Cuvee Pinot Noir
$50.00

A favorite with many tasters, this wine offers aromas of black cherry, mocha and plum with peppery and floral notes. The palate is complex and balanced with red fruits, cherry and hints of toasty oak. It is a delightful pairing with salmon from the grill.

Lange Estate Winery
2006 Reserve Pinot Noir
$30.00

Another favorite with the Yuppies, Don and Jesse Lange's Reserve Pinot offers a nose of toasty oak, cherry, raspberry and herbs. The palate is a juicy fruit bowl of ripe cherry, currants and spice. One taster found a curious tomato character, but overall, the wine is a superb foil for the rich flavors of salmon.

Ponzi Vineyards
2006 Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley
$35.00

This Pinot offered a bit of what old timers have come to expect from the best Oregon Pinot Noirs. Aromas of tangy plum and cherry mingle with notes of bacon, tea and tobacco. The rich palate offers flavors of black cherry, plum and currant with notes of coffee and chocolate on the finish.

Thornberry
2004 Pinot Noir
Marlborough, NZ
$28.00

My tasting notes for this wine include comments such as meaty, earthy, cherry, tobacco, leather, smoky. Perhaps it is partially due to the extra year-plus of age, or perhaps it is the region where the wine originates, but I really like this style of Pinot.
Fire up the grill for your salmon; this baby needs some smoky notes to really shine.

Patricia Green Cellars
2006 Estate Pinot Noir
Ribbon Ridge AVA
$33.00

The winemaker describes this bottling as dark, brooding and powerful - descriptors not commonly associated with Pinot Noir.  It is dark and brooding, but with a feminine side. Look for aromas and flavors of sweet cherry and plum wrapped in toasty oak, earth and grilled bacon. My style, to be sure, but make sure your salmon is full-flavored and hot from the grill.

Amity Vineyards
2006 Pinot Noir
Sunnyside Vineyard
$32.00

Many of the tasters raised a cheer when this wine was unveiled.  Myron Redford was one of the pioneers of growing Pinot Noir in Oregon, and his wines carry a certain trademark elegance that experienced Pinot lovers can easily identify.  A light but complex aroma carries dusty spice, rose and orange blossom with light cherry and berry in the background.  The wine offers cherry and berry flavors and delicate hints of cedar and smoke. Gentle tannins assure a great food pairing, even with delicately prepared salmon.

 

Montinore Estate
2006 Pinot Noir
Parson's Ridge Vineyard
$35.00

The grapes for this wine came from a 25-year-old vineyard block at Montinore Estate. The nose is cherry, mocha and earth with notes of herbs and strawberry.  The medium-bodied palate offers bright cherry and berry flavors over a background of toasty oak and spicy earthiness. A very pleasant companion to wild Alaskan salmon.
 

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