Klee Pinot noir Willamette Valley 09 - from Roots Wine

2008 Vintage Tasting Notes

From Roots Wine - A blend of the five vineyards Chris Berg works with. Scents of red cherry, raspberry, and cedar are echoed in the flavor of the wine. Blackberry, cinnamon, and a base note of minerality add complexity. Initially, the impression is of a delicate Pinot. As it lingers in the mouth, it fills out, takes on weight, and finishes as a full bodied wine. - Jean

Previous Vintage Tasting Notes

2005 Vintage Tasting Notes

BEST VALUE. Dark toasty oak and spicy red licorice in the nose, with dark raspberry and cherry scents as well. The longer we sniffed, the more the raspberry intensified and was joined by hints of mellow lavender and incense.

Flavors are of red raspberry, red cherry, and red licorice, with white pepper and more lavender in the finish. Positively zingy with natural acidity and tight when first opened, the wine quickly mellowed and opened in the glass. It finished medium long with distinct but very finegrained tannins present, and bright, juicy red fruit shot with touches of white pepper and incense.

70 cases made by the inimitable Chris Berg, one of our favorite up-and-coming Oregon indie winemaker superstars.

2004 Vintage Tasting Notes

Maybe it's his wacky sense of humor. Perhaps it's his Wisconsin roots. Or it could be that he makes great wines. Whatever it is, we love working with Chris Berg's wines.

You might be asking "Who is Chris Berg?" We've featured Chris's "Roots" Pinot Noir on our web site and in our wine clubs for the last couple vintages. It has been among our customers' favorite value Pinots, hands down. The 2004 sold out in a few weeks.

So, we were eager when Chris rolled into Avalon yesterday to show us his new Pinot project "Klee." And hot tamale, did we ever like the wine.

Our thoughts:

A nose of sweet red fruit, spicy dried oregano, and a dark flower mix, with a tad of fresh earth. Nice flavor concentration on the palate with dark raspberry, red cherry, and currant streaks. The finish is just right with dried rose, nutmeg and clove spice and red fruit. As Chris says, "It's not just a pretty picture-it's better than Elven magic!"

The Klee is a blend of Roots Estate fruit and "top secret yummy grapes." We think you'll love it.

Paul Klee (1879-1940) was a famous teacher of the Bauhaus movement. Bauhaus emphasized functionality, affordability and consistency. These attributes are also the building blocks for a good bottle of Pinot Noir. You can find the painting that inspired this label at http://www.bauhaus.de.