Le Cadeau Pinot noir Cote Est 08

2007 Vintage Tasting Notes

New York Times #1 "Top Oregon Pinot noirs" 9-2-09 - "You could taste the vintage in the freshness of this wine. It was complex as well, with aromas and flavors of earth, flowers and fruit, and it was balanced. For me, it was the only wine in the tasting that transcended the divide between the welterweight and heavyweight wines." - Eric Asimov

The 2007 Côte Est presents aromatics of cherry licorice, ripe strawberry and raspberry. On the palate, fresh cherry and raspberry mingle seamlessly with subtle mid-palate tones that resemble the toasty flavors found in a fine Champagne. The oak is refined and integrated— modestly present, but in no way dominant. The wine finishes with soft tannins, and a hint of flinty minerality that lingers. Steve Ryan, previously the winemaker for Martinelli and presently the head winemaker and partner in Mendocino Farms, a biodynamic winery in Hopland, CA, masterfully crafted the 2007 Côte Est.

Produced from 100% Le Cadeau estate grown fruit, hand-picked into 25-lb. binshipped in a refrigerated truck for overnight delivery to Hopland, CA. 427-cases. - the winery

2006 Vintage Tasting Notes

Tanzer International Wine Cellar: "Full red. Ripe cherry, anise, dried rose and dark chocolate on the nose, with a suave spicy quality adding complexity. Fleshy cherry preserve flavors offer very good depth, with light tannins contributing structure. Deeper in pitch on the long, sappy finish, which leaves a trail of dark cherry and plum jam flavors behind. This is drinking very well already." (May 08)

92 points Robert Parker Wine Advocate: "The 2006 Pinot Noir Cote Est is dark ruby-colored with aromas of pain grille, spice box, black cherry, and black raspberry. It has a bit more structure than the preceding wines along with layers of fruit, darker flavors, and a pure, fruit-filled finish."

92 points Wine Enthusiast: "The Côte Est Pinot Noir is more structured and less immediately accessible than the winery’s Rocheux bottling, but ultimately may prove to be the better bottle. It offers tightly woven, chewy fruit flavors of black cherry, black raspberry and plum, along with darker streaks of clove, leaf, smoke and earth. As always, the wine is structured with elegant precision."