Dusky Goose Pinot noir 05: Seamlessly lush and constantly evolving, the 05 Dusky Goose again shows why it is an Avalon favorite. The nose opens with oodles of black fruit, with a brightness (freshness) that lifts the aromas from the glass. Truffled cream intertwines with dried herbs and rose petals, and cocoa powder.
Black berry, black cherry, black raspberry, and dark red cherry vibrantly wrap around your palate. Supple fruit is lifted by the fresh acidity of the 2005 vintage, hinting at a long life in the cellar.
The finish is full of subtle spice and barrel toast, mixing with sweet black fruit and re-emerging creamy truffle notes. After many seconds, super-fine tannins move like a feather around your mouth.
The 05 Dusky evolves with each taste, one minute offering lushness, the next putting on a darker element and showing exotic barrel spice. The 2005 Dusky Goose: proof that sophistication and elegance can coexist with opulence in an Oregon Pinot noir.
Not currently available to order.
May be out of stock or sold out. Inquire at 541-752-7418 or store@avalonwine.com
Detailed Info, Previous Vintage Notes, Reviews:
Drinks nicely now but cellar at least six months for best experience. Should age in correct cellar conditions for 10-12 years, try once a year from 2009 and experience the evolution of a fine Oregon Pinot noir.
2004 Vintage Tasting Notes
Full-bodied, yet sumptuously complex, the 2004 Dusky
Goose Pinot noir wine has its characteristic candied
fruit and dried cherry notes, along with glorious
layers of lush black cherries and berries, and hints
of dried lavender, dried orange zest, and a high
note in both nose and flavor of intensely sweet and
concentrated dried fruit. The balance is so good,
the wine should cellar well for more than ten years.
Color: Garnet, with hints of dark purple, opaque
and dark.
Nose: Very rich scent is present immediately upon
opening the bottle. Scents are primarily of candied
black cherry, black raspberry, black cherry liqueur,
and strawberry, with an undercurrent of toasted cocoa
bean. Marcus says it's like experiencing a fresh
strawberry covered with dark chocolate.
]Hints of dried lavender, dried cherry, dried herbs,
and a tiny hint of fresh earth are present in this
vibrant wine. There's a freshness to the nose that
is characteristic of the 2004 vintage.
Flavors: Layers of fresh fruit explode in the mouth.
A plush, deep core of black cherry and black raspberry
is entwined with layers of ripe red raspberry, hints
of fresh strawberry, seamlessly integrated sweet
vanilla bean, spicy plum, and dried cherry fruit
( characteristic of the vineyard).
Finish: The finish just keeps rolling out, offering
transparent layers of red and black fruit and silky
tannins with notes of toasted cocoa bean, espresso
bean, sweet vanilla, cedar, fresh tobacco, and essence
of rose.
Balance: Tannins are very supple and well integrated,
there's a fresh, uplifting quality to the acidity,
and the fruit flavors reappear over and over with
ultrarich cherry, black cherry, and dried cherry
flavors, intensifying with more exposure to air.
The Vintage - 2004 compared to 2003: In a side-by-side
tasting of the 2003 and 2004 Dusky Goose over the
course of a couple days, both wines showed extraordinary
development and complexity. Both 2003 and 2004 are
powerful wines, juicy and multilayered, with the
vineyard's characteristic dried red cherry quality.
The 2003 shows more of a dark fruit profile in the
nose, flavors, and finish, with black cherry and
black raspberry dominating. The medium to full-bodied
2004 has that vibrant, uplifting freshness characteristic
of the 2004 vintage, and more red as well as black
fruit flavors. In the 2004, the layered flavors are
easier to discern- there's a sense of transparency
catalysed by refreshing acidity. More hints of lavender,
roses, herbs, and chocolate are present in the 2004.
Both wines are quite cellarworthy, with the 2004
having a slightly longer potential life.
When to Drink:The 2004 is lovely now, especially
with an hour or so of decanting. In 6 months to a
year, the wine will be much better integrated, so
patience will be rewarded. The wine's combination
of vibrant, uplifting acidity balanced with sumptuous,
lush, sweet fruit shows all the signs of aging well
for over ten years.
What to serve with it: Vitaly Paley, of Portland,
Oregon's Paley's Place, suggests Herb stuffed Rack
of Lamb or Braised Beef Brisket, just click to see
the recipes. Vitaly is the James Beard Foundation's "Best
Chef in the Pacific Northwest" for 2005 and
is in NYC this month guest-chefing at several restaurants.
2003 Vintage Tasting Notes
A big wine, dark, opaquely ruby in color, with a rich, silky texture in the mouth.
The fruit from this vineyard (formerly Goldschmidt, now Dundee Hills Vineyard) produces a unique scent, an amalgam of red raspberry, dried cherries, plums, and vanilla spice. Plush flavors of dried cherry, black cherry, candied cherry, blackberry, sweet ripe fruit, hints of spice, hints of herbs, and a seamless, shot silk texture impress the taster.
The balance is perfect - expressive tannins balance the rich fruit and the wine, concentrated as it is, maintains good acidity for aging, with a long finish of ever changing spice, cherry, berry, and cedar. This wine will age for ten years with continued impressive drinking for the consumer.
The Winery
Dusky Goose Wines was founded in 1998 by the Carter family with a mission to make a world class Pinot noir. The Carters chose to use fruit from the Goldschmidt (Dundee Hills) Vineyard for their wine. That vineyard was planted in 1974, and is known for the excellent wines made over the last 15 years from its fruit by the deeply knowledgeable winemaker Lynn Penner Ash. The vineyard is one of Oregon's oldest, and is based in the highly regarded Red Hills, near Domaine Drouhin, Archery Summit, and other prime vineyard sites. The vineyard, originally named Dundee Hills Vineyard, was sold to former Oregon governor Neil Goldschmidt in the late '90s.
The vineyard has a long, proven track record, largely due to winemaker Lynn Penner Ash. Lynn has produced highly rated Pinots from the vineyard for over 15 years, first for Rex Hill, now for Dusky Goose and for her own winery.