The Great Oregon Wine Company Pinot Noir

The Great Oregon Wine Company Pinot Noir comes from the Willamette Valley AVA of Oregon, USA.

The company itself is from Dundee, Oregon and was established in 1998.

Two things they’re very proud of are the farmers who grow the grapes for their wine and also the company’s philanthropic efforts with the United States Humane Society.

When it comes to the farmers, they go to great lengths to build and nurture the relationships they have with the local farmers.

This includes the grape growing farmers of Scharf Vineyards, Willamette Farms, Demesne Ste. Bride, Blakeslee Vineyard and Silver Falls Vineyards.

The Great Oregon Wine Company Pinot Noir Review

From the Bottle Label:

The Great Oregon Wine Company was founded on the belief that wines need not be pretentious to be delicious.  Like our 2017 Pinot Noir, whose dark cherry and earthy flavors are balanced by a backbone of tannins and acidity for a well-rounded wine that always stays true to its roots.

I tasted the 2017 vintage of this wine.

Sample received for review purposes.

Appearance

The wine poured fairly dark for a Pinot Noir, though not completely opaque.

As for the color, it would best be described as red garnet.

Its legs were slow to form and fall, but quite numerous.

Aroma

After pouring the wine, I noted a lovely, medium intensity cherry aroma that was noticeable from a good foot away from my glass.

Along with cherry, I also twice picked up the slightest hint of violet or some other similar floral.  It was very subtle.

All in all, the aroma was very typical of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir I’ve had in the past, including a bit of an alcohol sting in the aroma when up close.

The Great Oregon Wine Company Pinot Noir alcohol content 13.5% by volume per the bottle.

Taste

My first reaction was “light and no bite.”

On the palate, this translated to bright cranberry-cherry flavors, along with some minerality and little to no alcohol burn.

After a paying a bit more attention to my sips, I then noticed that the flavor actually started out as dark, earthy cherry but was quickly replaced by the brighter, cranberry-cherry flavors.

Along with that, some noticeable and refreshing acidity.

Sometimes Oregon Pinot Noir can have a bit of a bite to it, but this one was well restrained.

Very nice.

Mouthfeel and Tannins

I noted a light, juicy mouthfeel.

Tannins were definitely noticeable but also well-refined.

Finish

The Great Oregon Wine’s Pinot Noir finish was medium to long in length and carried mostly be the flavors.

With that said, the aforementioned tannins do make themselves known towards the end of the flavor trajectory.

And along with that, the appropriate amount of bitterness that you might expect from a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

Overall Opinion

Overall, I found this wine to be an enjoyable and elegant Oregon Pinot Noir that met all my expectations.

I especially enjoyed the nice balance between the flavors, the acidity and the tannins.

To learn more about this wine check out The Great Oregon Wine Company and navigate to the “our wines” section of their site.

From there you can learn more about their Pinot Noir and their other wines as well, including their canned wines.

The Great Oregon Wine Company Pinot Noir price $23.00 (approx.)

Suggested Food Pairing

Because of this wine’s subtle cranberry notes, my best suggestion for a pairing would be roast pork with a cranberry glaze.