Dusky Goose Rambouillet Vineyard Pinot noir 08

Limited release of Dusky Goose's Estate Vineyard in the Dundee Hills. The 2008 Rambouillet Vineyard Pinot noir is an ideal candidate for long-term cellaring. Bold and structured, this extremely limited wine is sold direct and through Avalon. Under the radar, one of Oregon's most exclusive wines and a classic selection for the most discriminating collections.

2007 Vintage Tasting Notes

Damn. The Rambouillet 07 opens up with aromas of sweet raspberry and huckleberry, foreshadowing the rush of bountiful flavors that builds and darkens on your palate. Dark dried cherry strolls in before black berry - picked from the vine and popped into your mouth - carries the finish. Delicate accents of Provencal herbs and pepper add an extra element to the commanding fruit and ultra silky texture. The 07 Rambo is pretty and powerful.

Only 85 cases released - virtually all of it goes into the cellars of private collectors. The wine was aged 8 months in 35% new barrels and prior to bottling, was allowed to integrate in tank 6 weeks for optimal integration. Then, the 2007 Rambouillet waited patiently in bottle for 20 months. Cellar for one to three years before drinking.

A charming Pinot noir with red cherry, raspberry and exotic mushroom truffle on the nose. Ripe strawberry and black tea fill out the palate. Mouth is pretty with rich red creamy fruit, dark cherry and nice acid tannin balance, that reveals a sweet round silky textured finish. Secure now, cellar for another three to five years. - the winery

Even though the 2006 Rambouillet sold out over 8 months ago, the Carters didn't rush to release the 2007. All Dusky Goose Pinots, especially the The Rambouillet, are released when they are ready. There's no rush to market or hurry to get a review to sell the wines.

The 2007 Rambouillet Vineyard Pinot is a blend of three Pinot noir clones: Pommard, 777, and the "Mystery Block" (which is suitcase clone from the La Tache Vineyard brought back from France in the early '80's) This is the second release of a Rambouillet Vineyard designate Pinot noir. - Marcus

2006 Vintage Tasting Notes

Dusky Goose Rambouillet Vineyard Pinot noir 06 is the first Pinot noir from Dusky Goose's estate Rambouillet Vineyard. A beautiful, seamless Pinot noir with an array of red fruits, baking spices, mineral complexity, and lovely balance for long term aging. Collectible.

Rambouillet Vineyard is planted entirely in Pinot noir, in a combination of clones chosen by Andy Humphrey and Lynn Penner-Ash. The Rambouillet Vineyard's first vintage was 2004, and the grapes were combined with Dundee Hills grapes to make the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Dusky Goose Pinot noir, an increasing percentage of the grapes coming from Rambouillet in each successive vintage.

Winery notes: Dusky Goose 2006 Rambouillet Vineyard is an exceptional selection of barrels, each representing separate blocks and different clones growing in the Rambouillet Vineyard. On the nose one gets fresh cherries, rose, light citrus, earth, and vanilla, opening to dense spice of cocoa, essence of clove, coriander seed, cardamom, and forest aromas. To the taste – infusion of cherry, black cherry, plums, dense black fruit, complex spice, with balanced acidity and tannins, and an unparalled seamless texture in the mouth. Only 100 cases produced.

Monumental and mesmerizing, the 2006 Dusky Goose Pinot noir delivers on all of the promises of past vintages. Succulent red fruit wafts from the glass with a deep base note of cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and dark berries, hinting at what's to come. At once silky-supple and powerful, the 06 Goose cascades across your palate with mixed cherries--black, fresh dark sweet, and dried--before picking up the bottom notes of rich blackberry and hints of cassis.

Like previous releases, the 2006 is a big and beautiful Pinot noir, and it maintains a freshness from a bright thread of acidity woven into the ripe fruit. A mile-long ribbon of earth, baking spice, and sweet cherries lingers on, with perfectly integrated tannins.

With the 2006 vintage, Dusky Goose delivers a mesmerizing wine that fulfills all the promises of its past vintages. The just released Dusky Goose 2006 Pinot noir keeps delivering. Some wines' quality goes up and down from vintage to vintage. Not so "the Dusky" - it flys higher with each year. Popularized by word of mouth alone, Dusky Goose Pinot noir is perhaps Oregon's most sought after wine.

2005 Vintage Tasting Notes

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.

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.