2021 Pinot Noir Oregon
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills entices with a seductive blend of clove and allspice, giving way to crushed black cherries and dusty sage hints. This flows across the palate with polished red and blue fruits and fresh acidity as chalky minerals and violet pastille suggestions amass toward the close. The 2021 finishes long and staining, leaving a primary concentration and touches of savory spice over a layer of fine-grained tannins. 20% new oak.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Bright crimson. Lively and inviting, with plenty of black fruit and bright acidity. It’s a polished style, and the oak will integrate more with the fruit in time. Very long finish. (FG)
Moving to the Domaine Drouhin Oregon lineup from the Dundee Hills, the 2021 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is ripe with ripe black cherry, fresh licorice, and dark stone. Lush and inviting, with ripe structure and broad shoulders, it is flush with a ripe, meaty texture and warming spice. Allow it another couple of years in the cellar. This is an age-worthy wine to drink 2025-2037. This was my second visit to the estate of Domaine Drouhin, where I met with David Millman and assistant winemaker Arron Bell. This benchmark estate was founded in 1987 in the Dundee Hills by the Burgundian estate Maison Joseph Drouhin, and fourth-generation winemaker Veronique Drouhin-Boss oversees the estate today. Given Domaine Drouhin’s commanding presence in the region, it’s always fantastic to see when the wines reach and even exceed expectations across the portfolio, as they have certainly done in the 2021 vintage.
Fragrant and open pinot with aromas of cherries, wild strawberries, orange zest, nutmeg and white pepper. It’s medium-bodied with silky, creamy tannins. Delicious balance of just-ripe berry fruit and subtle spice. Very long, too. Drink or hold.