J. Albin, Laurel Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2005
Goodness, this was a nice wine for the price. But beware, it changed a lot over the course of the evening -- a lot.
In the beginning, the nose was: barnyard, cedar, saw dust, and something like cake batter (vanilla). There was also an herb, a bit sweet like hyacinth. The taste was red cherry! More subtly, there was also raspberry and blueberry and vanilla. The finish was a strong CHERRY! ... along with hints of pepper and nutmeg. In the beginning, it was definitely a jammy Oregon Pinot.
But then, this wine changed a lot in 45 minutes. It lost any of that slight sweetness from that strong vanilla. The vanilla merged with the wine and wasn't predominant any more. The fruit also became much more subtle -- instead of CHERRY, it became a soft and subtle raspberry. And as the strong flavors became more mute, this earthiness emerged. Dirty. Mossy. Bark.
I was going to give this a 7.0 considering the beginning experience, but this wine really grew on me, and I really liked its second act.
Cost:
Rating:
8.5