(wine note)

2007 Willamette Valley
Pinot Gris
Brilliant, light blonde, white gold color, with all things white in the aroma, from white spring flowers of daphne, gardenia, and citrus to hard Christmas candy, white peach, crisp pear, and white tea. There are spearmint, honey, and ambrosia hanging in the air and austere river rock, bright acidity, apricot, ginger, and golden plum complexity on the palate. The texture is broad and rich (and with very good acidity!), rounded in the mid-palate, showing a borderline minor sweetness that turns on the salivation response. Ends with a spicy, tangy burst at the finish. A lot to love, but with a refreshingly low alcohol. One of our best.

(wine note)

2007 INOX™ Chardonnay
A platinum, brilliant wine that immediately shares a profusion of floral aromas and bright fruit, especially pear, green apple, honeydew melon, tangerine, peach, apricot, Meyer lemon, and even kiwi and pineapple. Spice and other aromatic accents include confectioners’ sugar, vanilla bean, and ginger, as well as the "Juicy Fruit" gum aromatic that is a marker for Dijon-clone Chardonnay fruit. There is a knife-edged brightness and minerality due to incredibly snappy acidity, making it tartly succulent and mouthwatering. Although high in acid, low in alcohol (13.4%), and bone dry (at less than .25% sugar), this has great weight and near-perfect balance.

(wine note)

2006 Cerise™
(Gamay Noir/
Pinot Noir)
Deep, deep red to purple in color. Forceful red and black fruit aromatics, laced heavily with blue fruit components of plum, huckleberry, and blueberry. A more complex and well-appointed Cerise than normal, with peppercorns, spice, red and black licorice, forest floor, and exotic notes layered atop the strongly acid-structured frame we expect from Gamay Noir. Good balance, decent length, and a freedom from alcohol or astringent impact in this big, warm vintage. One of the best two or three since we began in 1992.

(wine note)

2006 Corral Creek
Pinot Noir
Light to moderate red, with cherry or garnet hues, this is typical of Corral Creek, showing elegance and subtlety rather than extremes of extraction or intensity. Lovely, spicy, barrel-accented, red-fruited aromas, carrying hints of caramel-covered cherries, toasted brioche, dried cherries, raspberries, and even blueberry and plum clafouti. On the palate, after a sweet, red-fruit entry, there is thickness and a soft broadness that spreads widely but thinly on the mid-palate, ending with interesting flavors that are red fruit overlain with a spicy, woody, forest floor, dusty patina. A light, spicy, and red-fruited Pinot that dances.

(wine note)

2005 Ian's Reserve Chardonnay
One of the top Chardonnays we’ve made. Reminiscent of the best wines from the Chardonnay homeland, there are complex, fascinating Chablis-like herbal and mineral aromatics, spread with honey, citrus, biscuit, and spice, that continue to be refreshed and amped up by the wine’s bright acidity. The weight of this wine from a cool year is impressive, showing an oily viscosity, great fresh balance, broadness, and a long finish. The mid-palate is creamy and broad, showing the same honey, citrus, and, especially, mineral notes. It’s cool-vintage acid structure and promise shows in a bright, tart, firm finish. I couldn’t be more pleased.

(wine note)

2005 Reserve Pinot Noir
An ager from a cooler vintage, with great balance, seamless integration of fruit, and fine tannin and acid. The aromas are lifted cherries, spice, dried herbs and flowers, and earth with floral and savory characteristics. Fleshy red cherry, currant, and raspberry fruits on the palate, with touches of brown spice and chocolate. The mid-palate is low-slung, smaller than fatty hot vintages, but very well structured with leathery, fine wood and fruit tannin, and acid. Finish and overall impressions are of a long-distance runner, not a courtesan.