Our Cup Runneth Over
More of the best Oregon wines
By Condé Cox
Rating 88+
No. 37
Anam Cara
2006 Pinot Noir
‘Nicholas Estate’
Chehalem Mountains
$33, 4–6 years
Long, intense black-cherry flavors and lots of alcohol heat.
No. 38
Adelsheim
2007 Pinot Noir
‘Boulder Bluff’
Willamette Valley
$58
Nice balance of fruit and alcohol with astringency and tartness.
No. 39
Brick House
2007 Pinot Noir ‘Les Dijonnais’
Ribbon Ridge
$39, 4–6 years
Excellent varietal character and layers of complex cherry flavors in this translucent wine. A good example of what David Lett, the founder of the Oregon pinot noir industry, meant when he once said that “color and quality in pinot noir are inversely proportional.”
No. 40
Cliff Creek
2004 Syrah
Rogue Valley
$30, 6–8 years
Rich mulberry scents and a full midpalate texture.
No. 41
De Ponte Cellars
2007 Pinot Noir
‘Baldwin Family Reserve’
Dundee Hills
$70, 10–12 years
Concentrated, with good balance, despite heat from the elevated alcohol.
No. 42
Namaste
2007 Pinot Noir ‘Prosperity Vineyard’
$34, 5–8 years
Great finesse in this wine, which is simultaneously delicate and intense.
No. 43
Penner-Ash Wine Cellars
2006 Syrah
Rogue Valley/Columbia Valley
$32, 6–9 years
Rich scents of new leather and intense, dark fruits in this complex wine.
No. 44
Vitae Springs Vineyard
2007 Riesling
Willamette Valley
$22, 2–4 years
Intense green-apple and pine-resin minerality, with a bit of sugar that is finely balanced by firm acidity.
Published: September 2009