Good Morning!

I love Pinot Noir. I love Pinot Noir from Oregon and I LOVE Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley in Oregon. I love Pinot Noir’s from all over the world. If you are not aware, if you are drinking burgundy from France, that is made from Pinot Noir grapes. About 15 years ago I spent part of the summer in Portland, Oregon and I had the chance to visit many, many of the wineries in Willamette Valley and I would say 99% of them all made pretty fantastic Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.

What do I love so much about Pinot Noir? It is all about the mouth feel of the wine. Pinot Noir has a completely different texture and weight on the tongue than the wines I was just starting to sample at the time. At that time in my life, I had just started making kit wine in the basement and when I took clients out for dinner they would order those HUGE reds from California when they would eat steak on my expense account.

The Cabernet Sauvignon we would drink while at Ruth’s Chris and Morton’s Steakhouse were so big, and heavy in the mouth, I would find sometimes, I did not even enjoy them until the end of the evening and the wine had an hour to sit in my glass. I have grown to love so many wines for different reasons, but I find myself coming back to the summer I spent in Portland. The first Pinot Noir I tried was at a winery called Rex Hill…It was lighter in weight, more velvety in texture and I remember the smoky, cherry thing on the finish. I loved it!

The next stop was Argyle winery and I remember thinking I have to buy some of this stuff…NO BODY in Indiana is gonna believe how good this stuff is. I am so silly,, thinking everyone in Central Indiana was as much of a wine novice as me….but I brought home a case of Pinot from about 4 wineries and I thought I had found a secret nobody could figure out.

There are 16 different wine regions in Oregon and 12 of them are located on the western side of the state. 3 of the regions are located in the middle of the state and on the Washington State border and the last region is located on the east side of the state of Oregon. I am not sure why I love Willamette so much, I assume it is because that is were I first tried the Pinot’s and I had a very memorable summer and like I always say, wine is as much about the experience as it is the taste.

I have tried wines form the other 15 regions and have truly loved them as well, but I do not have the connection so much, but some day I will visit all the areas and I am sure I will make memories that will connect me with these wines, winemakers and towns/cities and wineries.

When you first look at Pinot Noir in the glass you will notice the color will be very red but you can “see” through it. It will have a peppery aroma and you might get a leather or smokiness that could be new to your senses…but when you taste Pinot, prepare for the finish of cherries and campfire, I love how it takes me back to camping with my Grandparents and how our clothes would smell from the smoke.

Anyway, I will be opening up a bottle of Pinot Noir tonight from Chile called Ritual, made by my friends at Veramonte…They are located in the Casablanca Valley of Chile and I visited them last year and I am going open my last of 3 bottles I brought home. I need to make another trip to Chile or Oregon!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi