A round of American Pinot

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Tonight I finally had a chance to attend a tasting organized by my friend at Altruistic Boutique Wines, after having missed every event she has organized in the past.  Tonight's theme was Oregon and Californian Pinot, and I was curious to see what the small producers were turning out.

2006 Bjørnstad Chardonnay Porter-Bass Vineyard - lots of toasty oak here... pretty ripe on the nose, kinda aromatic with some minerals.  Medium acidity.  Pretty good.

2007 Rex Hill Pinot Gris - nose of green apple, pear, sweet caramel and a little flint.  Very light and aromatic... great to drink on a hot summer day.

2006 Rex Hill Pinot Noir Reserve - pretty sweet and fruity nose, with a little mint and kinda alcoholic.  Definitely felt some of that 14.4%...

2007 de Lancellotti Pinot Noir - first whiff of the nose made me to a double-take... it was so Old World... with lots of farmy, smoky notes, plus mint and a bit of orange.  Eventually the sweetness of the nose came through.  Smooth on the palate but the finish was slightly hot and spicy.

2008 Westrey Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard - really sweet with lots of fruit.  Sooo typical for an American Pinot.  Some mint here.  Definitely a little hot on the palate.

2007 Lucia Pinot Noir - lots of very ripe fruit, spices, pretty extracted and sweet with some apricot.  A little sharp on the nose, and actually burns a little going down...

2007 Bjørnstad Pinot Noir Hellenthal - from a bottle that was opened late, so the nose was a little muted at first.  A little mint with some fruit, some farmy notes and game meats.  Opened up with time and got better.

It was a pretty good evening, although I did have to miss watching the World Cup match between Argentina and South Korea...