Evening Land Red Queen Pinot noir 08

See all in-stock Oregon 2008 vintage Pinot noirs

This is our favorite of the 2008 Evening Land Pinot noirs.

See all in-stock Oregon 2008 vintage Pinot noirs

Wine Advocate 93 points!

Wine Advocate: The 2008 Pinot Noir Red Queen was sourced from a single block of the Seven Springs Vineyard while receiving the same elevage as the two preceding wines. It is a stylish, elegant effort with a bit more complexity, concentration, and length than the La Source but, again, it is all about nuance (or terroir if you prefer). Everything aside, this is a terrific portfolio of wines which will bring needed attention to Willamette Valley. Mark Tarlov is a Hollywood (and New York) guy who appreciates star power. Now he has Lafon, Stone, a distinguished vineyard; and now a great vintage to showcase the package.- Jay Miller

Wine Spectator 93 points!

Wine Spectator - Bright and lively, but then this gets serious, featuring a gritty edge to the ripe cherry and red plum flavors. Turns minerally as the finish revs up. Shows depth, length and dimension without weight. Drink now through 2020. 200 cases made. H.S.

Tanzer's Josh Raynolds 94 points!

Tanzer - Deep ruby. Higher in pitch than the La Source, displaying scents of wild strawberry, Asian spices, rose and minerals, with a lively note of white pepper adding urgency. Sweet red berry and candied flower flavors stain the palate without showing any excess weight, picking up a note of bitter cherry on the back end. Stylistically, this is playing Romanee-Saint-Vivant to La Source's Richebourg today. The finish is precise, penetrating and impressively pure, not to mention very persistent." - Josh Raynolds, IWC

Avalon - My favorite 2008 Evening Land Pinot. And yes, that includes the 96 point La Source. I realize it's easy to say that now that La Source is sold out but I thought it before either wine was reviewed.

Red Queen is a dark and burly wine, but not in a large-scale "big" Pinot sense. Dense, beautiful black fruit has waves of cherry washing over and through, with an ideal savory-sweet interplay carrying through the long, tannic finish. 30% whole-cluster fermented, Red Queen displays wicked aromatic complexities. Don't touch this for at least a few years - I recommend cellaring for at least 4 years. - Marcus

Only 180 cases made of this special selection from Evening Land's Seven Springs Vineyard. A 2008 "Summum" Pinot noir was not made at ELV - this wine replaces it.