What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD)

In 2006, Oregon experienced a bumper pinot noir crop, with wineries crushing over 17,000 tons of grapes. This was 5,000 more tons than in 2005 and twice the size of the 2004 vintage. All of that pinot noir fruit has resulted in more bottles in the retail channel, which is why a variety of "Oregon Pinot Noir" wines have appeared on store shelves this past year.

I discovered one such wine, the Kings Ridge 2006 Oregon Pinot Noir(13.5%), while shopping recently at my local wine store. I purchased this pinot for only $16 and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of such an inexpensive Oregon pinot noir. It's labeled as an "Oregon Pinot Noir" due to the fruit coming from vineyards in the Willamette Valley and Umpqua Valley.

On the eyes, the Kings Ridge was a translucent strawberry red. On the nose, it offered light strawberry fruit with hints of earth. On the palate, it had both bright fruit and acidity. Over time, this pinot opened up well offering more pronounced flavors while maintaining its balance.

We paired the Kings Ridge 2006 Pinot Noir with grilled pork loin that had been marinated in garlic, olive oil, salt, and smoked paprika. Kari made a Yukon Gold potato and Chorizo sausage hash and roasted cherry tomatoes as side dishes. It was a terrific meal that was well complemented by this Oregon pinot noir.

Besides the price and quality of this wine, I was impressed with the work Kings Ridge put into its web site. Far too often with large production wines (over 12,000 cases were made of this one), there is little information about where the grapes were grown or how the wine was made. I am glad to see Kings Ridge being an exception to this rule. The tasting notes for this pinot noir are what you might expect for a more expensive wine. Even better are the profiles and stories about the folks at Kings Ridge.

For $16, you not only get a decent Oregon pinot noir, but a lot that goes beyond the bottle to connect you to the people and places behind this wine.

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