WTN: Nice Oregon Pinot with dinner

Clear ruby red. Voluptuous nose of smoky cherries and forest floor. Juicy tart cherries, a touch of smoke, delightful acidity and smooth tannins on the midpalate. Nice medium-long finish of cherries, red raspberries and a tannic twinge at the end. Nicely balanced light to medium bodied pinot.

With food: Excellent match with grilled and hickory smoked chicken breasts. The smoky earthiness of the wine and the smoked chicken breast match nicely.

Wine: 2008 Roads End Pinot Noir, Carlton Cellars. Willamette Valley, Oregon 13.3% abv

Nice to see a 2008 Oregon Pinot that is ready to go. I bought heavily in that vintage because of the exquisite balance in the vast majority of the wines I tried, but I thought I'd have to wait at least another year before trying them out. Maybe I should crack a few open now. Thanks for the review.

Nice to see a 2008 Oregon Pinot that is ready to go. I bought heavily in that vintage because of the exquisite balance in the vast majority of the wines I tried, but I thought I'd have to wait at least another year before trying them out. Maybe I should crack a few open now. Thanks for the review.

Hi Jim,

I bought quite a few 2008s last year during my visit to the Willamette Valley. The style of pinot made a big difference in whether it was ready to drink or not. Some of the bigger pinots, were definitely not into the window yet. Some of the lighter ones were either ready or right on the cusp of their drinkability window. This one was definitely in its ready to drink window. However, I tended to buy the more ready to drink pinots even though I did buy a few agers.