2005 Vintage

Wine Spectator
March 2007
91 Points:
2005 Pinot noir
Reserve

"Lithe, supple and generous with its plum and blackberry fruit, hinting at sweet leather on the finish as it sails on unimpeded by tannins. Lovely stuff, and it should deepen with cellaring. Drink now through 2013." - Harvey Steiman

Food & Wine
March 2007
Star Selection:
2005 Pinot noir
Willamette Valley

"Most of the grapes in this elegant, multi-vineyard blend come from the Stony Mountain Vineyard, perched on a hillside in Oregon's Yamhill County."

Wine Enthusiast
July 2007
91 Points
2005 Pinot noir
Meredith Mitchell

"Pungent with tomato leaf and fresh-turned earth. Young and tight, spicy and earthy, this is a classic example of the Oregon style. The alcohol (presumably ripeness) is significantly lower than in past vintages, and the flavors follow suit. Watch this develop over the next five to eight years" - Paul Gregutt

Wine & Spirits
August 2007
89 Points:
2005 Pinot noir
Meredith Mitchell

"From one of the older vineyards in the new McMinnville AVA, this wine shows the appelation's strengths, its dark fruit scents accented by a root-cellar earthiness. Pillowy and plush, the black cherry and plum fruit is very ripe and well supported by oak. Cellar for a year at least, then pair with herb-roasted chicken." - Patrick Comiskey

Wine & Spirits
August 2007
92 Points:
2005 Pinot noir
Reserve
"YEAR'S BEST" 2008

"Drawn from a half-dozen Willamette Valley sources, this composed, gentle wine offers up a classic tension between ripe red fruit and an earthy, vinous core. It's dark and heavy, but the fruit — sweet, generous red cherry and strawberry — is lifted and taut, finishing with impressive length. It has the tension and structure for duck breast." - Patrick Comiskey

Wine Spectator
June 2007
90 Points:
2005 Pinot noir
Shea

"Ripe and spicy, this is a supple, velvety wine, with nicely delineated plum and currant flavors that linger against hints of white pepper and dark chocolate. Better than previously reviewed." - Harvey Steiman

Wine Enthusiast
July 2007
90 Points:
2005 Pinot noir
Shea

"Fragrant and inviting, with rose petals soaked in chocolate, tasted outdoors on a pine-scented evening. It's a beautifully detailed and powerful wine, the classic iron fist in the velvet glove. The cherry fruit is ripe and lovely, and there is a slight impression of alcoholic heat in the finish." - Paul Gregutt

Wine Spectator
May 2007
88 Points:
2005 Pinot noir
Stony Mountain

"Lithe, polished and appealing for its caramel-scented cherry and smoke flavors that linger on the finish." - Harvey Steiman

Wine Enthusiast
July 2007
87 Points:
2005 Pinot noir
Yamhill Springs

"Despite its youth this is already showing a light orange tone and the fruit is round, ripe and quickly maturing. It's drinking well, with forward flavors of berry, plum and leaf. Tannins are tight and hard, ripe but unyielding." - Paul Gregutt

Wine & Spirits
August 2007
91 Points:
2005 Pinot noir
Yamhill Springs
"YEAR'S BEST" 2008

"Lighter and more herbal than the Reserve, this earthy wine from the new Yamhill-Carlton AVA west of Yamhill has a burnished, leathery scent. Aromas of sun-ripened strawberries peek through with air, delivering fruit that feels bright, fresh and delicious. For plank-roasted salmon." - Patrick Comiskey