Domaine Drohnin Pinot Noir 2001 T.N.

Medium ruby in color. Nice aromatic nose of plums and dusty cherry. Very soft yet medium to full bodied. Nice cherry and dried red fruits on the palate with a medium length but clean finish that echoes fine fruit. A slight touch of pepper also .. A very nice wine. 88pts.
Still at retail I think it's a bit overpriced at $40.

Nice notes Paulie5 - I had a similar impression with the 2001 when I tasted it against the 2000. I thought that it had more structure than the 2000 and would be curious how to compares to the 2002 when it comes out. But I agree, $40 is a little steep, though I have seen it in the mid-30s at some stores.

I also feel this is overpriced. You can find other PNs in this price range with better taste and finish.

Dick

To be fair, I found this wine mismarked @ $11.99 each. I actually informed the store management and they told me that their computer said $11.99. So with a clear conscience I walked away with 4 bottles. I've had 2 of them with identical notes. 2 more stashed away for later. There is no way this wine is worth $35 to $40 bucks. But at $12.00 bucks that's another matter. It was very nice but, I agree, not at the retail price.

cheers
P5

Which vineyard? I would tend to agree that DD is overpriced, but a lot of it is relative to what you're drinking. The Laurene isn't that bad for the price (I picked them up for $35 a bottle from a distributor), but I've been underwhelmed with a lot of their generic store wine.

Drew,

All of Domaine Drouhin's Oregon wines come from their estate vineyard in the Red Hills area of Dundee. They have about 80 acres planted to grapes..

http://www.domainedrouhin.com/estate/vineyards.cfm

cheers
paul

Has anyone tried the Louise? I haven't seen any notes on it... then again, maybe I'm the only one dumb enough to pay that much for a bottle...

Oh and $12 is a great price P5 I think there was a thread somewhere about "what's the best price you paid for a wine" or something like that. I 'm waiting to stumble onto something like that.

I wouldn't mind buying their wine at that price point. Maybe they'll have a fire sale during the holidays.

You guys are drinking your Domaine Drouhin way too young. Drouhin is one of the few OR producers who make wines to age, not to be chugged early. They usually start off a bit light and simple but gain complexity and texture with aging. Try a '90, '91, or '93 and it will change your opinions about them.

Marshall

Marshall,

I one hundred percent agree with you. Their wines do age quite gracefully. I have had the 1994 this last year and I know how pinot noir evolves even though when young I find it hard to evaluate(meaning pinot noir changes in different manner than say a Napa Cab or a Bordeaux). 2001 was a good but light vintage in Oregon and the wines are very fruit forward IMO. That said the 94 Domaine Drouhin was very nice indeed. I just found some 2001 mismarked and bought what I could.

I've had certain Oregon pinot noirs this year from as far back as (1979 Knudson Erath Maresh Vineyard, as wel as the 1983 Arteberry Reserve) ( thanks Jim Maresh) and found the older ones to be unworldly. Like a mystic experience.

But going back to the 2001 Drouhin, I also think this wine will improve with another 5 years in the cellar but still, 2001 is one you can drink early.


cheers
P5

Agree Marshall. I made the mistake of opening a 98 this year. Too young. It needs at least 2 more years before opening.

Wilkommen zu VinoCellar.

Marshall - welcome to VinoCellar!

Yeah, welcome to VinoCellar, Mr. Manning.

For those of you who don't recognize his name, Marshall has been posting on internet wine sites for quite a long time (if you don't mind my saying so). He has an excellent palate and writes outstanding tasting notes; a welcome addition to any wine website. I've made more than one successful purchase based on his comments.

Hope to see you participating here again.

Thanks for the welcome, guys. I wish the board used real names, so I knew who you guys are...I'm sure I've run across you on other boards in the past.

Funny, I didn't even know this board existed until I met Andrew Kotowski a few weeks back through WCWN, where I normally post my TNs and most of my wine comments. Now that I know about it, I'll be sure to check in every once in a while to post comments and various smartass remarks .

Any other Oregonians on the site? Paulie, do I know you...and did I see you at L & E last night? If you hang out with Jim Arterberry, we've got a common connection. He's opened some beauties from the family cellar for us, too.

Marshall

Marshall, some of us do use real names here...though I agree it is far too few.

The '93 Laurene is my reference point for how good DDO pinots can become with age. It is also among the best OR pinots I've ever tasted, along with various vintages of Evesham Wood Cuvee J and Cameron Clos Electricque...

Mark

Some of us, me for example, use our screen names as holdovers from other sites. FWIW. Feel free to send a private message to anybody on the site if you're curious as to whether you know them and I'm sure they'll respond in kind.

Hey! Great to see you over here Marshall! Looking forward to seeing your posts - the board could benefit from some more != Cal Cab/pinot reviews :-)

DREW
(Andrew Kotowski)

Marshall,

I sent you a PM. We ought to get together and pull a cork or two. Jim is a good friend of mine.

cheers
Paul

Welcome slim shady, er, eminem, er... Marshall.

Keep posting those OR notes!