PRE-ARRIVAL OFFERS :

2009 Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir, Canary Hill Cuvée L&E, Willamette Valley, Oregon 448.50 case / 230.00 half-case
Classic Ken Wright! This special barrel of Pinot Noir sourced from Oregon’s great Canary Hill vineyard delivers all the Ken Wright goodness and style. Fresh aromas of Rainer cherries, warm earth and brown spices herald a rich and supple palate. The Canary Hill’s vibrant fruit is balanced by lively acidity and suave tannins. Drink this velvety Pinot over the next three to four years. Twenty-five cases only. Other formats available: 99.99 / magnum; 205.00 / 3-liter; 21.99 / 375-ml.

2009 Ken Wright Cellars, Pinot Noir, Carter Vineyard, Cuvée L&E, Willamette Valley, Oregon 448.50 case / 230.00 half-case
This year’s Carter Vineyard Cuvée L&E is comprised of fruit that comes from the NE block of Wädenswil vines in the revered Carter Vineyard, nestled in the Eola Hills. The L&E Cuvée offers classic Wädenswil Pinot aromatics accented by hints of warm earth. The ultra-pure palate is bright and spicy, with beautiful dark cherry fruit and a suggestion of game and damp earth. Firm tannins and bright acidity frame the fruit, making this wine supple and delicious now, or one for the cellar over the next five years. Twenty-five cases available. The L&E Cuvee will arrive in fall/winter 2010. Other formats available: 99.99 / magnum; 205.00 / 3-liter; 21.99 / 375-ml.

2008 J. Scott Cellars Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon ... 17.99/192.50
Jonathan Scott Oberlander is crafting some attention-grabbing varietal wines from his home base on the southern fringes of the Willamette Valley. Oberlander’s ’08 Pinot Noir is a superb value, displaying a lovely, limpid ruby color and cool, fresh aromas of raspberries, cloves and vanillin oak. Brisk on the palate with dense loganberry fruit, cranberries, smoky soil and caramel, the wine shows lovely, velvety texture balanced by fine tannins and crisp acidity. Spicy, crunchy and suave on the finish, J. Scott’s Pinot reveals a depth of fruit and character rare for such a modestly priced Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. This is a heck of a value and a terrific choice for your every-day Pinot Noir needs. Enjoy this satisfying Pinot now and over the coming three years with roast pork and chicken, potatoes au gratin, or as a relaxing glass all by itself. A great value Oregon Pinot!

2008 Montinore Estate, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 12.50/133.50
Family owned and adhering to the strictest organic and biodynamic principles, the venerable Montinore Estate produces classic Willamette Valley Pinot Noir exclusively from its own estate holdings. The 2008 Willamette Valley vintage is shaping up to be a classic. This lively Pinot from Montinore elegantly balances the vintage’s rich cherry and raspberry fruit with snappy acidity, earthy cranberry notes, caramel tones and fine-grained tannins. Spicy suggestions of cinnamon, menthol and clove accent the wine’s unusually pure and transparent fruit expression before yielding to a long, earthy, vanilla bean-tinged finish. At its price point, this is as good as Pinot Noir gets from anywhere in the world. Adding the fact that the wine is strictly organic makes it a ridiculous value and the perfect choice for environmentally-conscious “locavores.” Those of you who simply love a world-class, everyday-priced Oregon Pinot will love it, too!

2008 Hamacher Wines, "H Series" Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 17.99/192.50
Lavished with the same care as his $45 marquee label, Eric Hamacher’s H Series wines are bottled younger and crafted to be immediately approachable. Hamacher H Series Pinot Noir is a knockout from the moment it’s poured. A brilliant pale ruby color in the glass, the wine’s aromas soar with notes of loganberries, cinnamon and smoke. Showing the gorgeous balance that is becoming the hallmark of Oregon’s 2008 Pinot vintage, the H Series Pinot follows its complex nose with a crisp, crunchy palate of sappy raspberries, tart cranberries and a lovely undercurrent of fine French oak. Long and elegant on the finish, hints of Bing cherries, violets and brown spices complete this delicious and affordable Oregon Pinot. Enjoy now and over the coming three years with roast chicken, burgers, broiled salmon, and grilled summer vegetables.

2008 McKinlay, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 15.99/171.00
McKinlay winemaker Matt Kinne is back with another strong, lip-smacking Pinot Noir that once again sets the benchmark for deep, honest, authentic Willamette Valley Pinot at the affordable end of the price spectrum. Placing the gorgeous, precocious fruit of the great 2008 front and center, the 2008 McKinlay opens with a deep garnet hue and complex Pinot aromas of loganberries, cranberries, smoke and cinnamon. On the palate, the wine offers fresh red-fruited Pinot glory alongside crisp food-friendly acidity and notes of cinnamon and cloves. The finish is long, clean and lingering, showing sweet cherries, red raspberries, minerals and smoke. A very versatile and immediately delicious Pinot, the 2008 McKinlay drinks exceptionally well now and will hold for three to five years. Enjoy all its un-oaked, red-fruited purity with broiled salmon, roast chicken, grilled vegetables, duck, even burgers hot off the grill.

2008 Ayres, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 19.99/213.50
In a very short time, Ayres Vineyard has become a major player in the Oregon wine scene by fashioning juicy, delicious, handcrafted Pinots at very sensible prices. The winery’s 2008 Willamette Valley Pinot is a blend of Dijon clones from Ayres’ Ribbon Ridge estate accented by old-vine fruit from the Eola Hills. The result is one of the most lively and deliciously accessible 2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs we’ve yet tasted. A deep ruby color in the glass, the Ayres opens with snappy aromas of loganberries, cinnamon-tinged cherries and perfumed soil. Showing the balance and grace of the great 2008 Willamette Valley vintage, the Ayres Pinot continues with further waves of ripe berry fruit accented by a lovely earthy soil streak and framed by firm acidity and modest, round tannins. Lilting, elegant and delicious right out of the chute, enjoy this splendidly balanced, fruit-forward Oregon Pinot over the next two years with grilled salmon, grilled chicken, boudin blanc and everyday fare like burgers and pork chops.

2006 Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Pinot Noir, Laurène, Dundee Hills, Oregon 60.99/651.50
2006 marks the fifteenth vintage of DDO’s Laurène prestige cuvée, and once again Véronique Drouhin has fashioned a superb wine that captures the plumpness, charm and ampleness of the Willamette Valley’s 2006 vintage with the kind of Burgundian restraint for which DDO has become renowned. The ’06 Laurène is a deep ruby color in the glass and offers opulent aromas of freshly crushed boysenberries, cloves, vanilla and caramel. Jay Miller, writing for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, awards the wine 92 points and gushes: “The 2006 Pinot Noir Laurène is medium-dark ruby colored with an alluring perfume of pain grille, mineral, spice box, cherry, and black raspberry with some blue notes in the background. It has more depth and concentration than the ‘cuvee classique’ with gobs of sweet, ripe fruit, enough structure to evolve for 3 to 4 years, and a 45-second finish. Drink it from 2012 to 2021.” We concur and add that the Laurène drinks impressively well now.
Wine Advocate—92 points

2009 Matello, Caprice, Pinot Blanc-Pinot Gris, Yamhill-Carlton District, Oregon ... 13.50/144.50
If only to show that he’s as talented with off-dry wines as he is with dry white wines, Goodfellow issues this unusually confident Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris blend (80-20%). Matello’s Caprice wows the off-dry white wine lover in us with its opulent floral bouquet and deft balance between weight, texture, acidity and sweetness. Gorgeously ripe pear, mango, quince and passion fruit notes stain the palate, while brisk, balancing citric acidity fully cleanses the palate, leaving behind a sense of freshness, purity and harmony. This is Oregon’s answer for those of us who love what François Chidaine and Huet do in the Loire Valley, or what the Faller sisters at Weinbach do in Alsace, or what Johannes Leitz does in the Rheingau. It’s clear, it’s distinctive and it holds its own easily in such esteemed company. Enjoy now and over the coming three years with mild-spiced Thai, Vietnamese and Indian cuisine, with roasted autumn squashes or with semi-firm chèvres.

2009 Matello, Pinot Gris, Whistling Ridge Vineyard, Ribbon Ridge, Oregon ... 13.99/149.50
Over the past couple of vintages, Marcus Goodfellow of Matello has made quite a name for himself. Now we’re delighted to present a duo of Marcus’s outstanding, rare and very limited production white wines. Emphasizing elegance, purity and restraint, Matello’s 2009 Pinot Gris is easily among the most delicious and refreshing examples we’ve tasted of Oregon’s signature white varietal. The wine casts a classic Pinot Gris hue of pale straw tinted with slightest tinge of magenta, followed by a lovely, restrained nose of sappy hazelnuts, smoke and passion fruit. Crisp and crackling on the palate, Matello’s Gris beautifully balances opulent lemon, papaya and starfruit notes with bracing acidity and a firm underpinning of minerality. Long and refreshing, the wine finishes clean, fresh and bone dry with a Muscadet-like suggestion of saline minerality. Another brilliant wine from one of Oregon’s finest craftsmen, buy this by the case to enjoy now and over the next two years with sautéed halibut, grilled salmon, summer squashes and light poultry preparations.

2007 Willamette Valley Vineyards, Dry Riesling, Willamette Valley, Oregon 11.50/123.00
Dry Riesling is one of the trickier categories in Oregon wine. Fortunately, Willamette Valley Vineyards have made it a specialty, and their love for the genre shows in this brilliant green-gold, hillside-grown Riesling. The 2007 Dry Riesling opens with exotic aromas of Asian pear, vanilla bean, white peaches and honeysuckle blossoms. Crisp, smoky and bone dry, the wine wakes up the palate with pure golden raspberry fruit and a smoky, iron-rich mineral undercurrent. Honeydew melon and green kiwi notes emerge on the bristling finish. Beautifully balanced and dry, dry, dry, enjoy this superb example of Oregon Riesling now and over the coming two years with poached white-fleshed fish recipes, light chicken preparations, shellfish, and grilled or sautéed summer vegetables.

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