A few pinots

The tasting yesterday was all about the NW and here are a few pinots that caught my eye.

- Cana's Feast Bricco 2006 Pinot Noir (plus 2006 reserve)

Bricco/Cuneo/Cana's Feast, whatever they are going by these days, always make fun wines. In my mind they always make very ripe wines, more aggressive and fruity than other producers. This was my first time trying their pinot noirs and they defintely brought the thunder! Lots of extraction, deep color and a really rich mouthfeel. These two wines (reserve and non-reserve) had lots of layers and a richness that I don't find in a lot of pinots, especially from OR. Now, with all their richness and opulence they managed to stay true and balanced, unlike some pinots from other areas like California that can get some of those same elements but end up with an artificial aspect to them. I think I saw on a info sheet that the non-reserve 2006 just got 92 points from Robert Parker, but I'm not sure. I could defintely see it though. Good stuff!

- Bethel-heights Eola Amity Estate Grown Pinot Noir 2006

Now this pinot, while compared to the Bricco wines, is not as much as a blockbuster it's a truer representation of what OR pinots are. It has a solid nose filled with all of those Oregon features, some earth and a mushroom quality. The nice thing about this wine is that it has a beam of fruit (almost blueberries?) that shoots right through the earthy aspects and keeps it interesting. the midpalate is fairly lively and there's enough on the finish to keep it interesting. If you're looking for something new in this price range (~$29?) it's worth a shot.