WTN: An Oregon Pinot

I am traveling and I went to a restaurant in Bloomington IN with a good wine list. Wine prices were what I consider reasonable.

Semitransparent ruby red wine with a nose that smelled like the forest floor after a spring rain, cherries, and a hint of red raspberries. Sumptuous sweet tannins on the the midpalate that blended nicely with tart cherries and strawberries. Medium long finish that nicely finished what the midpalate promised.

Wine: Domaine Drouhin, 2004 Pinot Noir Williamette Valley $55.00 US (restaurant price)

Food match: Wild mushroom tortellini with an alfredo sauce. The mushrooms and pinot just set each other off in a cascade of earthy tastes with nice overlays of red fruits.

For whatever reason, Carole is not much of an Oregon Pinot Noir fan. She liked this one a lot, as did I -- no Syrah wannabe here.

Tom,
This sounds so good that I will have to try one soon. My wine club did pinots last Saturday night and we had one from Or, one from Ca, one from Chile, and one from Burgundy. all in all, these wine let me know that I buy far too few pinots.

Tom,

I was in Bloomington jsut yesterday. Thanks for the note. I have the Drouhin 2004 WV Pinot, but I have not yet tasted it. I look forward to doing so.

Wine: Domaine Drouhin, 2004 Pinot Noir Williamette Valley $55.00 US (restaurant price)

That price seems very reasonable. The DDO WV PN goes for about $40 or more here in Ohio. A $15 markup at a restaurant is very good!

For whatever reason, Carole is not much of an Oregon Pinot Noir fan. She liked this one a lot, as did I -- no Syrah wannabe here.

Randy,

Definitely a burgundy style pinot that I thought was just delicious. Perhaps something to do with the winemaker? I wanted to order a burgundy as they had a couple of good ones on their list, but I thought why pay $80-$90 for a burgundy when I can get a really fine burgundy style pinot from Oregon? This time I made the right choice.

The rest of the story is that I was with 3 other people who liked wine but were not really into wine. I offered to buy a bottle for everyone to share. By coincidence or maybe pinot vibrations they all chose pinot friendly dishes like grilled salmon or mushroom sauce dishes. One guy said he just wanted a little bit and ended up drinking more. They all said it was an excellent wine and if they had more wine like this they would drink it more. Even thought they all said they did not know much about wine, they all seemed to know when they had a really good one.

Wine: Domaine Drouhin, 2004 Pinot Noir Williamette Valley $55.00 US (restaurant price)

That price seems very reasonable. The DDO WV PN goes for about $40 or more here in Ohio. A $15 markup at a restaurant is very good!

Hi Mike,

I agree that the price was very reasonable, although I do not know what you pay for this wine in Indiana. The other wines on their list seemed to be in the range of no more and some less than a 1 x the retail price at least as compared to what I pay in Ontario.

Even though they all said they did not know much about wine, they all seemed to know when they had a really good one.

This is the fun part of wine -- sharing (or creating) an experience with others.

Hi Sam,

I think the Drouhin is drinking very well right now, but I think it will hold for at least another year or two. Enjoy! Just in case you want to try it the restaurant was Grazie! Italian Eatery, on the square in Bloomington.

Tom,
This sounds so good that I will have to try one soon. My wine club did pinots last Saturday night and we had one from Or, one from Ca, one from Chile, and one from Burgundy. all in all, these wine let me know that I buy far too few pinots.

Hi Bob,

I have always been a pinotphile and have known you just can't have too many pinots in your cellar. My problem is keeping them stocked and affording the new ones! This is definitely one of the nicer pinots I have had lately. And I am comparing it to the really nice burgundy we had on Mothers Day Weekend. Do try the Drouhin, if you can find it. I do not think you will be disappointed.

Thanks for the well written note, Tom. I had a glass of this wine a few months ago without food -- and wondered how it would pair up. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity.

Regards, Bob