A friend joined us last night after a fun day of business travel for a couple of older Oregon Pinots with grilled salmon (was an adventure shoveling out my grill on a -5 degree day and it under a few feet of snow but boy was it worth it) and brussel sprouts.
1999 Brickhouse Cuvee du Tonnelier - Had a little funk that blew off after about 30 minutes. Was closed at first but after about an hour opened up into this gorgeous complex layered wine. This was extremely yummy. Layers of black and red fruit with hints of forest floor. Medium long finish. In the 94 pt range. Could age more, decant an hour if enjoying soon.
1994 Evesham Wood Cuvee “J” Unfiltered - I was a little concerned with this one as it had seeped at some point and the cork was well soaked up until just about the top. Upon smelling and tasting wine wasn’t damaged. This 1994 was bought as part of an experiment to explore how Oregon pinot ages and also to explore the highly rated 1994 Oregon vintage. On its own, this wine had a wonderful nose with delicate fruit. The finish had this weird green stem thing going, probably from the unfiltering process; however, when you paired it with the food, it just blossomed on the finish. Certainly a treat to get the chance to enjoy. A well made wine that certainly has held up over time. 88 on its own/92 with food.
