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By Chuck Hill

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Pinot Noir with
Copper River Salmon
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Wines of the Week
Published June 25, 2009

June – Salmon and Pinot Weather
By Chuck Hill
Part 2 of a Series (Part 1)

The supplies of Copper River salmon are smaller this year, but they are holding out for good eating as the end of June approaches.

Some problems encountered with Pinot Noir wines are not experienced often with other varietals. I have an acute sensitivity to aromas of sulfur compounds – I've always had it, and it contributes greatly to my (occasional lack of) enjoyment of some wines. "Reduced wines" are those that – through lack of the presence of oxygen – create compounds of sulfur that stink. These smells of sewage, cabbage, rubber or rotten eggs are unpleasant, and if you are as sensitive as I, you will encounter some of them in small quantities in Pinot Noir. Sometimes adding a clean copper penny to your glass and swirling for a few minutes will fix the problem. See this link for more than you want to know about this issue: www.nanaimowinemakers.org/Steps/H2S_Issues.htm

On to the wines with salmon!  Next week we add some Rosιs!

Broadley Vineyards
2007 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard
Willamette Valley
$28.00

I have been a big fan of Broadley Vineyards Pinot Noir for more than 15 years. Their wines have always been food friendly, balanced and age-worthy. The 2007 Estate offers bright cherry and berry aromas with hints of dried herbs and cedar. The palate is medium bodied with concentrated berry flavors wrapped in barrel toast and earthy mineral. Good acidity and great with salmon.

Broadley Vineyards
2007 Pinot Noir, Sunny Mountain Vineyard
Willamette Valley
$35.00

This wine required some breathing time to show its stuff; open an hour or more before serving. My tasting notes are filled with words like "voluptuous" and "seductive." Look for ripe plum, berry and toasty aromas leading to a rich palate of black fruits and a long, lip-smacking finish. Grill your salmon to accompany this wine.

Lange Winery
2007 Pinot Noir, Three Hills Cuvee
$40.00

Lange's Three Hills Cuvee is blended from Lange Estate, Freedom Hill, and Yamhill Vineyards. The nose is earthy and robust with black cherry, herbs and smoky berry. The palate bursts with cherry flavors leading to a finish of mineral and toasty oak. The wine complements smoky salmon from the grill.

Windsor Sonoma
2006 Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley
$29.00

This is another seductive and voluptuous wine, though in a leaner style – think Audrey Hepburn instead of Marilyn Monroe. Aromas of Bing cherry, spicy cedar and anise lead to a medium-bodied palate showing ripe cherry, plum and berry aromas with hints of cocoa and spice.


Cubanisimo Vineyards
2006 Pinot Noir
$29.00

Neurosurgeon Mauricio Collada puts on his winemaker cap each fall to harvest and vinify Pinot Noir at his winery in Oregon's Eola Hills. His 2006 Pinot Noir is succulent and seductive (in a Cuban way) as an accompaniment to salmon.  The nose is rich with black cherry and spice with hints of cedar and cassis. The palate offers smoky notes over rich cherry fruit with flavors of plum and herb in the finish.  Delicious with grilled salmon.

Amity Vineyards
2007 Pinot Noir, Ecowine
$20.00

How appropriate having a Salmon Safe wine with salmon dinner! Salmon Safe is a program that certifies vineyard and wineries that protect salmon habitat from erosion and chemical pollution. This wine is also made from organic grapes and has no detectable sulfites. Look for bright strawberry and cherry aromas leading to a light palate with cherry/berry flavors and a hint of frizzante!

Rusack Vineyards
2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley
$36.00

The Santa Maria Valley is a California coastal region north of Santa Barbara that offers cooling ocean influences for the growing of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Rusack's Santa Maria Pinot Noir is sourced from three vineyards and offers complex aromas of black cherry, smoky plum and bright floral and spice notes. The palate is tangy cherry with earthy notes of leather, coffee and cocoa. Very nice with salmon from the grill.

Erath
2006 Pinot Noir, Estate Selection
Dundee Hills
$36.00

A spicy, lighter style crafted from reserve quality lots from five Dundee Hills vineyards, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, caramel and toasty cedar. Flavors of plum and cassis form a background to spicy and toasty notes that dance as the wine breathes up. Grill your salmon for the ultimate pairing with this bottling.

Firesteed
2005 Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley
$30.00

This vintage of Firesteed Pinot Noir was crafted from select lots of Willamette Valley grapes and gently aged in one-, two- and three-year-old French oak. Aromas of black cherry and raspberry are complemented by hints of floral perfume and cedar. The palate is a contemplative symphony of rich cherry and plum fruit with myriad notes of coffee, cocoa, herb and spice subtly interjecting nuance and style.

Iris Vineyards
2006 Pinot Noir
Oregon
$20.00

This ripe and jammy Pinot cozies right up to the flavors of rich salmon from the grill. Aromas of black cherry, cassis and berry are complemented by hints of vanilla and spice. Flavors of cherry, blueberry and sweet spicy oak follow the promise of the nose and lead to a rich finish of black fruits and toasty oak.

Daedalus Cellars
2006 Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley
$30.00

It is fair to say that winemaker Aron Hess gives his Pinot Noir grapes every opportunity to do their stuff – naturally. Lots from seven different vineyards are individually fermented by native yeasts inherent in each vineyard. The wine is moved by gravity, 20% whole-cluster fermented and bottled unfiltered and unfined. The winery suggests decanting – a suggestion that would be wise for any Pinot Noir – and aging for an additional seven to eight years. Bravo! The nose is complex offering earth and herbs, cherry and plum, flint and smoky toast. The palate is complex, pairing with grilled salmon by showing smoky cherry, earth, bacon and toast. The price is modest for such a delicious wine. Don't forget to decant.

Terlato Family Vineyards
2007 Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley
$60.00

California's Russian River Valley offers a nearly perfect climate for Pinot Noir, and in the last decade many vineyards have expanded their plantings of this varietal. This delicate and elegant Pinot Noir styling offers bright raspberry aromas with floral and strawberry notes. The palate is complex with cherry, strawberry and light plum flavors and a finish of spicy oak and herbs. This particular bottling works equally well with poached or grilled salmon.

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