Wine By Nine

Red Wine by Wild Horse from Central Coast, California. Wild Horse 2006 Pinot Noir bursts with aromas of seasoned wood, rose petals, dried cherry, and alpine forest floor, with flavors of pomegranate and Asian spices, with a rich lingering mouthfeel. A versatile wine, this Pinot Noir complements meals of salmon, lamb, poultry and grilled vegetables. Superb now, best enjoyed after a few years in the cellar.

Red Wine by Louis Jadot from Burgundy, France - regions. Pinot Noir Jadot is a pure varietal wine produced from Pinot Noir musts and wines selected from village-level vineyard sites throughout the Cote d'Or and Cote Chalonnaise. As with several of their smaller wines, Maison Louis Jadot practices a replis to improve the quality of the wine by declassifying some wines of higher appellation to be incorporated into the blend. The final lots are carefully chosen, and, depending on the vintage, aged for a number of months in oak casks to evoke the clean, ripe red berry flavors and earthiness of the grape mellowed by a subtle touch of wood. Reflective of the Jadot style, Pinot Noir Jadot is harmonious and balanced, with a plump fruitiness and silky texture offset by round, gentle tannins in a wine of medium body and elegant structure. The very typical, fragrant varietal bouquet is complemented by a delicious, lingering finish.

Red Wine by Joseph Drouhin from Burgundy, France. The Drouhin family has long been a premier producer of Pinot Noir in Burgundy and Oregon, two of the leading places in the world where this seductive and fickle grape is grown. Veronique Drouhin (right), mother of three and Pinot Noir winemaker extraordinaire, crafted Vero from a personal selection of different wines coming from her favorite regions in Burgundy. Tasting Note: Pretty red color, with bright ruby tones. Very pleasant bouquet reminiscent of cherry and ripe raspberry, with a peppery note in the background. Good balance with pleasant roundness and freshness; supple and refined tannic structure. On the palate, flavors of wild blackberries and raspberries dominate, with some undertones of licorice. After a little more aeration, there is a round and harmonious sensation as the wine then evolves towards all kinds of delicious red berry flavors.

Red Wine by Stoneleigh from Marlborough, New Zealand. True to Stoneleigh style, this soft, supple Pinot Noir captures the essence of Marlborough, New Zealand's most acclaimed winemaking region. This fragrant, well-integrated Pinot Noir has been crafted from small, concentrated grapes with classic Marlborough Pinot Noir flavors. Color: Deep ruby red Aromas: Fragrant bouquet of black cherry, raspberry, red plums overlaid with savory toasty spice. Palate: Ripe dark red berry fruit flavors dominate the palate. This wine is soft and supple with lingering fruit sweetness balanced by fine integrated tannins. Best enjoyed with succulent red meat dishes such as spring lamb, duck, game or veal. Dishes featuring mushrooms and red berry fruit will also complement this Pinot Noir beautifully. This wine may be enjoyed now but will continue to develop with careful cellaring for up to five years.

Red Wine by Ponzi from Willamette Valley, Oregon. Milk chocolate, ripe raspberry and star anise dominate this extremely perfumed nose. The mouth hints at the same chocolate notes with vanilla and sweet red currant leading to a long finish with soft tannins. -Luisa Ponzi 2006 may be remembered as the year Oregon's orchards and vineyards produced record yields. Crop tons per acre this year were extraordinarily high across the Willamette Valley. Higher than normal rainfall in the winter charged soils with abundant water. This ground water enabled vines to flourish through the very dry summer. Harvest was hot and fast for most sites. Soil water may have been the causal factor for such a large average cluster size, but it also insured high quality and clean fruit from happy vines! This Pinot Noir is a blend from Ponzi's Aurora Vineyard, Madrona Vineyard, and Estate Vineyard along with Dion Vineyard, Alloro Vineyard and Gemini Vineyard. This wine is made from 100% certified sustainable fruit.

Red Wine by Elk Cove from Willamette Valley, Oregon. Richly ripe when first poured, this gathers focus with air. Its stalwart plum flavors develop a limpid clarity in the center, a pure fruit moment that gives way to a fleshy, savory finish. It has the savory layered notes to pair with coq au vin. -Wines & Spirits ...silky texture, toasty oak, ...good structure and balance; long finish. A rich, silky Pinot that's easy on the wallet too! 93 Points-Pinot Report All of Elk Cove's delicate Pinot Noir fruit undergoes the same meticulous vineyard management and gentle handling through our gravity flow system, thus achieving the elegance, texture and luscious quality that are the hallmarks of exquisite Pinot Noirs. From the early pioneering days to now, our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir has remained the foundation of Elk Cove Vineyards. This Pinot Noir is blended from several select vineyard sites comprised of Pommard and Dijon plant material and shows the softest, most approachable drinking style Elk Cove makes. Vintage 2006 certainly has everyone offering up grand descriptions! Everything ripened beautifully. This is a rarity. A warm, fully ripe vintage. Fruit set was ideal with a mild Spring. Months that followed were warm and dry, with short-lived heat spikes and a few intermittent cooling rains in the fall, advancing fruit ripeness. Feelings abound in the valley that the 2006 vintage seems to be a combination of the 1999's depth and the ripeness of 2003 (the only vintage warmer than 2006), but with better flavors and natural balance. The Pinot Noirs specifically seem to be very true to form with velvety tannins and a sexiness evocative of Pinot's feminine side. Put this with softer, darker blue fruits that are more generous and it's the makings of exceptional wines! In general, this vintage had us searching for negatives, finding only the six days of over 86 degrees in early harvest to fret over. But the results seem to be close to perfect!

Red Wine by Benton Lane from Willamette Valley, Oregon. This Pinot Noir exhibits aromas of dark chocolate and cherry, earthy spices and hints of ripe strawberry. Initial spicy notes on the palate carry the berry flavors, creating a seamless texture. The velvety structure complements the ample body, with nice cherry flavors lingering through the clean finish.

Red Wine by Cono Sur from Chile, South America. Deep, dark and concentrated ruby red in color. Aromas of amazing finesse and complexity, with notes of cherries, strawberries, raspberries and plum with hints of leather. The palate shows intense sweet fruit, balancing elegance, rich texture and concentrated flavor. A long, soft finish. Drink with red meats, poultry, duck and game, and mature cheeses.

Red Wine by Buena Vista from Carneros, California. The 2005 Pinot Noir Carneros has aromas of bright Bing cherry, fresh ground nutmeg and earthy wild mushroom. The palate explores hints of toastiness and exhibits flavors of deep blackberry and cherry with undertones of dark chocolate and clove spice. This is a wine of depth that leads to a long finish complemented by soft tannins and lingering berry fruit, all considered hallmarks of Carneros Pinot Noir.

Red Wine by David Bruce from Central Coast, California. A core of bright cherry fruit, subtle toast, and notes of earth and spice make this a versatile companion to a wide array of cuisines.

Red Wine by Francis Coppola from Sonoma County, California. Grown in the Sonoma Coast region, the methods we use for crafting Pinot Noir include early morning crush and a cold soak period to stabilize color. Open-top fermentation helps us achieve a plush, silky texture, which accentuates the tantalizing flavors of crushed cranberries, cherry, strawberry, allspice, clove and vanilla.

Red Wine by La Crema from Sonoma County, California. Like the Burgundy wine region of France, the vineyards of Sonoma Coast offer an unusually long, cool and even growing season. Lingering fog and wind from the nearby Pacific Ocean (or, in Los Carneros' case, the San Pablo Bay) moderate temperatures throughout the growing season and slow the ripening process. With an extended hang time on the vines, the results at harvest are small berries with firm acidity and highly concentrated varietal aromas and flavors. The 2006 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir opens with engaging aromas of ripe, round cherry, floral notes, spicy clove and licorice. Cherry continues in the mouth, melding with rich plum, orange peel and tea leaves over a mouth-watering jamminess. Balanced acidity and firm tannins round out a long, lingering finish. -Melissa Stackhouse, Winemaker