Domaine Serene, Winery Hill Vineyard, 2003
Domaine Serene typically produces that stereotypically Oregon-style Pinot Noir: hardy and jammy. It's Pinot, but this ain't Burgundy. It was the 2003 vintage, which is characterized with more fruit than normal -- more jammy, And this wine fit right into this description.
The nose was full of spice, and leather -- cinnamon, and nutmeg, and strawberry and raspberry. And that fruit followed into the taste. Raspberry and strawberry were predominant at the beginning. And a bit later on as it opened up is was more like logan berry and marionberry. This wine had it's fair share of oak; it had that vanilla sweetness in the taste, though not overly so. It also a hint of citrus to it; not overly strong, but it was there nonetheless. The very end of the finish was raspberry and pepper, and then it goes dry with a sort of artichoke taste. Yeah, despite it's jammy taste, the finish goes into vegetable instead, and a little vanilla.
The body of this was medium -- much heavier body than a typical Pinot, especially Burgundies. Despite the vegetable finish, it's still predominantly fruit -- very typically of the 03 Oregon Pinots.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0