Synopsis, Our Opinion: A rich and fruity Oregon Pinot Noir.
Producer/Winery: Colene Clemens Vineyards; Newberg, Oregon.
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir.
Geographic Appellation, Region, Country: Chehalem Mountains; Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Vintage: 2015
Price: $23.40 (with a 10% mixed case discount)
Purchased From: The Caviste Wine Shop; Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Paired With: Chicken Marsala on pasta.
Tasting:
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Opened one hour before drinking. Clear, purple/ruby color with the same color rim. Damp earth, cinnamon, rich ripe raspberry and concentrated Hydrangea floral aromas. Powerful, smooth entry, medium body and an 80-grit texture with a slight back of the throat alcohol raspyness on the first and second pours. Very strong flavors of raspberry, cherry, current and blackberry. Edgy acidity; fairly soft tannins; and a medium-length slightly spicy finish. Excellent with the chicken Marsala and delicious wine, but it’s sure not a Pinot Noir from Burgundy. It had vibrant fruit tastes, very smooth tannic structure that gives more importance to the fruit flavors and racy acidity. As we were drinking this and writing our review we were comparing it to the “New World” Pinot Noir wines we have recently had from the Central Coast of California, e.g.: Sandhi Rinconada Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2015 and Au Bon Climat Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014. For our palate there was a significant difference between those California wines and this one from Oregon. We did enjoy this Colene Clemens, but it just wasn’t a wine we would write home about. We probably should have decanted it, but in the end we said it was a rich and fruity Oregon Pinot Noir.
Photo from Colene Clemens Vineyards.
Alcohol Content: 14.2%
Closure: Reconstructed cork.
UPC Code: 8 52195 00308 9
Imported by: Not applicable.