Wine & Spirits - April 2020 - 86

YEAR'S BEST US PINOT NOIRS
in the end, their earthy spice needing a pepper steak to resolve. (5,000 cases) -J.G. 
519636

90 | Patz & Hall

$85

2017 Russian River Valley Burnside Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ A quiet RRV pinot, this is all
about supple integration and smooth cherry
ripeness. There are some earthy notes and
light leafy scents adding length without risking any imbalance. Pour it with rognons or
roast wild mushrooms. (212 cases) -J.G. 
517773

90 | Radio-Coteau

89 | Heron Hill

$25

2017 Finger Lakes Reserve Pinot Noir
(Best Buy) ^ Arresting aromatics-of pine forest, red berry and a bit of cured meat-give
this wine an exotic feel. The flavors are clean
and crunchy, with translucent red-berry fruit
running throughout. Chill a bottle for duck
prosciutto. (609 cases) -P.J.C. 

$80

91 | Elevée

$50

91 | J. Christopher

$65

2017 Chehalem Mountains Silice Pinot
Noir ^ This is a powerful pinot, with a core of
dense, dark strawberry and plum flavor that
feels wrapped up tight in a firm plum-skin
skein of tannins. Pour it with rare flank steak
and chimichurri. (W&S 10/19; 1,300 cases)
-P.J.C. 
519745
2017 Chehalem Mountains Madrona Hill
Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ A red from a southeast-facing vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains, this wine smells of bay leaves and cedar
tips. Its flavors lead with cherries but finish
pleasingly bitter, like amaro, with the refinement for roast quail. (350 cases) -P.J.C. 
518035

$68

2017 Russian River Valley Alberigi Pinot
Noir ^ Eric Sussman purchases this fruit from
an organically farmed vineyard on Vine Hill
Road. It produced a rich and creamy pinot
noir in 2017, with tart, strawberry-scented
fruit. There some gentle tension to its dusty
tannins, giving the wine the stamina to evolve
with age, though it's easy to enjoy now with
roast salmon. (W&S 10/19; 220 cases) -J.G.

91 | Bergström

519657

88 | Dr. Konstantin Frank

$22

2017 Finger Lakes Old Vines Pinot Noir
(Best Buy) ^ Lean and bright, with a cool, leafy
cherry scent and luminous red-fruit flavors,
this feels light and effortless, a wine to chill
for a plate of mortadella. -P.J.C. 

2016 Chehalem Mountains Estate Pinot
Noir ^ This pinot has a humus-like forestfloor scent adorning its black-cherry fruit.
It's warm and inviting, hugged but not overtaken by oak. (W&S 10/19; 70 cases) -P.J.C. 

OREG ON
W IL L A METTE VALLEY
C H E H A L E M M O U N TA I N S
517830

93 | Bergström

519273

90 | Williams Selyem

$65

2017 Russian River Valley Calegari Vineyard Pinot Noir<\d>^^<\d>This wine's oak dissipates to reveal strawberry scents and richer
cherry-scented fruit, then the oak reappears
in smooth, chocolate-dense tannins. The flavors come together in the end, lasting with
that cherry sweetness. Cellar it. -J.G § 

CA LI FO RN I A AVA
519383

88 | Sean Minor

$16

2018 California 4B Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^
Lean and briary, with a hint of red plum and
tobacco, this is a simple red, but its generous
cherry flavors deliver elegance at the price.
(2,500 cases) -P.J.C. 

N EW YO RK
516384

90 | Millbrook

$23

2017 New York Pinot Noir ^ Soft and floral,
this is a light pinot with wild-strawberry flavors and gentle tannins that give it grace and
poise. It's the right weight for trout. (W&S
6/19; 1,275 cases) -P.J.C. 
520058
86

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2020

$85

2017 Chehalem Mountains Winery Block
Pinot Noir ^ A complex pinot, this needs air
to come into focus, its notes of purple herbs,
dark oak and dark fruit locking horns at first.
Then it becomes silky, the fruit sleek as a
plum, the acids light, the tannins bearing a
fine grip, the wine well-suited to a mushroom
tart. (W&S 10/19; 250 cases) -P.J.C. 
518029

93 | J. Christopher

$30

2016 Chehalem Mountains Basalte Pinot
Noir (Best Buy) ^ Whole-cluster spice and
cranberry scents lead in this well-priced, light
red. It's structured, with a pleasing grip that
seems to hold the red fruit in a light suspension, charming and expressive. For braised
beef. (W&S 10/19; 1,400 cases) -P.J.C. 
519514

91 | Alloro

$42

2017 Chehalem Mountains Estate Pinot
Noir ^ Bright and assertive, with scents of
wood spice and crushed black pepper, this
has a buoyant red-cherry lift to the flavors.
Crowd pleasing; for buttermilk-marinated
roasted chicken. (1,850 cases) -P.J.C. 
517829

518043

91 | Geodesy

$80

91 | Ruby

$45

90 | Chehalem

$30

2017 Chehalem Mountains Chehalem
Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ This has an
Italianate feel in its scents of tar and violets,
sun-dried tomato and plum. The wine feels
sleek and structured, with a deep, creamy
core of black-plum flavor. (W&S 10/19; 115
cases) -P.J.C. 
519691
2016 Chehalem Mountains Estate Blend
Pinot Noir ^ This wine wears fruit and earth
elements in equal measure. There's energy
in the wine's mildly savory scents of spiced
plum and clay pot. The fruit is generous, the
tannins scented with anise and tea; for roast
squab. (450 cases) -P.J.C. 
519847
2018 Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir
(Best Buy) ^ Scents of juniper and dark berries give this pinot a wintery feel. The fruit is
forward but the texture remains composed
and restrained, framed by a slightly bitter
amaro note, putting game, like pheasant, in
mind. (4,110 cases) -P.J.C.
http://www.drfrankwines.com/wine.asp https://www.williamsselyem.com/our-wines https://www.geodesywine.com/wines
Wine & Spirits - April 2020

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