Burgundy By Way Of Oregon

So I’m looking out my buddy Michael’s window at this view (photo courtesy of said buddy Michael), and he says, “…are you in the mood for an Oregon Pinot?” I tried to think of a quick, witty, rhetorical affirmation but came up empty. “Yes, please..”

This was no ordinary Pinot by the way. This was a bottle of 2006 Scott Paul La Paulée Pinot Noir. A beautiful, elegant wine. But before I get into the tasting notes…

Scott Paul is a former radio/record industry guy that transitioned into the wine industry and in 2001 found himself a gig as Managing Director of one our favorite Oregon wineries, Domaine Drouhin. He’s also a big Burgundy guy and runs an importing company called Scott Paul Selections.

It’s therefore no surprise that on his website in the ‘winemaking philosophy’ section, he states: “From many centuries of experience in Europe, winegrowers have learned that the best wines are most often the result of three essential concepts: OLD VINES, LOW YIELDS and METICULOUS WINEMAKING. In our continuous quest to produce the best wines, we strive to follow this holy trinity.” Also worth noting that his wines are all organic and Bio-dynamic…

…So back to the bottle at hand. This wine was made from Pinot grapes from four different vineyards in four different sub-appellations of the Willamette Valley.

A beautiful garnet color with a lush floral nose of berries and earthy goodness. On the palate, delicate layers of strawberrys, cherries and raspberries are neatly wrapped in velvety tanins with a zing of acidity. It’s complex yet understated, like a good Burgundy. Pretty genius really…

…so much so that Wine Spectator gave it a 90 and Robert Parker a 91. Tasty.