2002 Vintage

Wine & Spirits
April 2004
89 Points:
2002 Pinot noir
Meredith Mitchell

"This wine is initially very blue and herbal in the glass, cool in tone and clean in flavor, but also a little peppery and short, betraying a youthful exuberance (and a touch of petulance) that will certainly settle with time. Let it rest for nine months, then pour with a wild mushroom tart." - Patrick Comiskey

Reminds me of a great vosne romanee at 5 times the price.
2002 Pinot noir
Meredith Mitchell

"I just wanted to tell you how wonderful a recent bottle of 2002 Meredith Mitchell was to my wife and I. The wine possesses a deep red color with stony nose and chalk finish. Reminds me of a great vosne romanee at 5 times the price. I thought you would enjoy positive comments from a mostly burgundy fan...awesome." - Jeffrey Smith

...a glorious example of Oregon Pinot noir...
2002 Pinot noir
Shea

"Saturday evening at Swedes Inn Restaurant, where I am the wine program director, the owners and I sat down and enjoyed a wonderful bottle of wine - Raptor Ridge Shea 2002. It was a glorious example of Oregon Pinot noir, full of ripe cherry and hints of raspberry flavors, with a powerful sweet fruit aroma that promised what we received from the glass. That haunting note of evergreen forest was there in the nose, and the finish was long, rich and very satisfying. This was a tremendous effort on your part, and I look forward to enjoying the other three bottles still resting in my cellar. Thanks for a great experience." - Carl Hudson

Northwest Palate
March/April 2004
Recommended:
2002 Pinot noir
Reserve

"Aromas of cherry/berry fruit, with hints of light toast and herb. Very youthful on the palate, with cherry and blueberry flavors. Angular and very grapey. Cellar 1-2 years for integration."

Wine & Spirits
April 2004
87 Points:
2002 Pinot noir
Reserve

"The aromas in the glass at first seem kirsch-like, then acquire some depth with a little air; but the wine remains tightly coiled and a little absent in the mouth, its tightness magnified by heat. Tame it with rouladen or beef." - Patrick Comiskey

...it was gorgeous, if a touch precocious.
2002 Pinot noir
Reserve

"I took a considered moment with a Raptor Ridge Reserve 2002 recently, and it was gorgeous, if a touch precocious. With the wisdom of a couple more years, it will surely be a gem." - Jack Chester, New York

Wine & Spirits
April 2004
88 Points:
2002 Pinot noir
Shea

"So earthy and deep in the glass it recalls syrah, and it's packed with exotic flavors of spice, dusty cocoa and black cherry. This wine doesn't appear very pinot-like now, but should find its voice with time. For those who like their pinots big." - Patrick Comiskey

Northwest Palate
March/April 2004
Recommended:
2002 Pinot noir
Stony Mountain

"Deep aromas of black cherry, plum and barrel toast. Full-bodied flavor of ripe black cherry fruit balances toastiness. Restrained yet juicy, with spice notes in the finish. Cellar 1-2 years for further integration."

Wine & Spirits
April 2004
90 Points:
2002 Pinot noir
Stony Mountain

"Broad and a bit over the top, this wine has a spicy, generous oak component to go with all that extraction. Its deep red cherry fruit squares off the texture in the mid-palate, and its flavors, from an exuberant vintage, are hard to resist. The wine also has admirable length - mostly chocolate from oak for now - but that should become less demonstrative in time." - Patrick Comiskey

Northwest Palate
March/April 2004
Recommended/Good Value:
2002 Pinot noir
Yamhill County Cuvèe

"Light smoke and black cherry fruit in the nose. Bright flavors of cocoa and black cherry, with ripe tannins in the finish; cellar 1-2 years for additional complexity."