WTN: Occhipinti Wannabe

[Jenise]

Opened this a few days ago to serve to a friend and had the last glass last night with a bowl of pasta coated in a fruity red sauce made of nothing but sweet cherry tomatoes and sliced onions cooked down with a cup of water over an hour, then dusted with parmesan and peppery dry French Basil from Penzey's.

2019 Phelps Creek Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Reserve Columbia Gorge
Drinking beautifully right now, possibly in peak zone but should hold here a few years. This is a well-made American pinot from the Oregon side of the Gorge and a winery whose consulting winemaker lives in Burgundy. Complex red fruit, crunchy and fresh, it has higher than usual acidity and lighter than usual pigmentation--blind this could pass for Sicilian. Perhaps a frappato at the Occhipinti level of quality.

Opened this a few days ago to serve to a friend and had the last glass last night with a bowl of pasta coated in a fruity red sauce made of nothing but sweet cherry tomatoes and sliced onions cooked down with a cup of water over an hour, then dusted with parmesan and peppery dry French Basil from Penzey's.

2019 Phelps Creek Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Reserve Columbia Gorge
Drinking beautifully right now, possibly in peak zone but should hold here a few years. This is a well-made American pinot from the Oregon side of the Gorge and a winery whose consulting winemaker lives in Burgundy. Complex red fruit, crunchy and fresh, it has higher than usual acidity and lighter than usual pigmentation--blind this could pass for Sicilian. Perhaps a frappato at the Occhipinti level of quality.

Sounds kinda like the Gamay I made this year. We'll see if I still feel that way when I bottle later this year.

Sounds good.
I confess not what I expected from subject line, was expecting a note on a mediocre Frappato or Nero d'A, not a good NW PN.