What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD)

With its Japanese inspired name and label, it wouldn't surprise me if some might mistake this bottle of Torii Mor for sake. On the outside, Torii Mor might suggest rice wine, but on the inside this is pinot noir, and a good wine at that.

Torii Mor, located in Dundee, was founded in 1993 by Donald Olson, MD, to focus on producing wine from fruit grown on the Olson Estate Vineyard. He acquired and renamed this site in 1985 - it was formerly known as the McDaniel Vineyard, which was planted in 1972, making it one of the oldest in Yamhill County.

Dr. Olson derived the name, Torii Mor, by combining Japanese and Scandanavian terms, respectively. A torii is a traditional Japanese gate leading into a Shinto shrine, while mor is an ancient Scandanavian term for earth. Here is how they explain this derivation on their website:

By integrating these two distinct languages, the romantic image of a gate to the earth space or passageway to beautiful things is formed. We believe that Pinot Noir, more than any other varietal, is that beautiful gateway to the earth.

Over the last 15 years, the winery has grown to about 14,000 to 17,000 cases annually. Led by its winemaker, Jacques Tardy, a native Burgundian, the winery is now sourcing fruit from ten different vineyards in Willamette Valley. Half of their production is focused on the Torii Moor Oregon Pinot Noir, which retails for around $28, while the other half is used for crafting more expensive wines priced from $45 up to $100 a bottle.

The Torii Mor 2006 Pinot Noir is comprised of fruit from 14 vineyards throughout Oregon, thus the reason for the non-AVA designation. Unfortunately, the bottle's back label offers only their tag line, "Through this Torii Mor, this Earth gate, we step, to make glad the soul, with wine”, which is inspiring but I would prefer to know a bit more about what goes into this wine without having to visit their website.

We paired the Torii Mor pinot with grilled wild king salmon, herbed orzo, fresh grape tomato salad, and grilled bread. On the eyes, the wine is a light medium color. On the nose, it evokes dusty notes of red berry fruit with a bit of earthiness as well. On the palate, there is strawberry and red cherry, bright acidity, and a bit of heat on the finish, suggesting the alcohol might be a bit higher than the 13.8% on the label.

Even still, I would buy another bottle of Torii Mor 2006 Pinot Noir Oregon again, for it offers a decent wine relative to other Oregon pinots priced in the $30 range. And like The Wine Commentator, I found this wine to really open up after some time in the glass (and even better the next day), which makes for a more captivating wine in my book.