The Pinot Noir Smackdown is an interesting challenge for me. Although I can enjoy a Pinot Noir, it’s not my usual red wine choice. I like a red wine that has a color from dark ruby to black and you can’t read text through the wine. This eliminates many Pinot Noirs. I also like a wine with bold to outrageous tannins. This also eliminates many Pinot Noirs.

Imagine my happiness when I visited Archery Summit in Dayton, Oregon. Their portfolio of Pinot Noirs fealt like they were made for me. They had three Pinots that I would love to buy and have with a meal. The 2007 Looney Vineyard Pinot Noir was a dark ruby with notes of cherry and spice. The finish had bold tannins and was fruity. The 2007 Arcus Estate Pinot Noir was also dark ruby with an aroma of cherries and violets. The taste had cherry and spice notes. The finish was very fruity with tannins. Finally the 2007 Red Hills Estate Pinot Noir was a dark ruby and had cherry and spice notes on the aroma and taste. There were bold tannins on the finish.

While visiting Oregon wineries in the Willamette Valley, you’ll discover that many wineries have several Pinot Noirs in their portfolio. The grape is very versitle as are the crafted wines. You can find the light bodied strawberry-like Pinot rosé wines as well as the full-bodied bold tannin Pinots. My Pinot Noir smackdown choice for a wine growing area is Oregon.

Cheers,
Terry

Archery Summit wine cave aging Pinot Noir