This is yet another well made Oregon pinot noir from a producer that offers its wines at affordable prices. The Cooper Mountain 2007 Reserve Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13%) retails for only $22, but offers a level of quality that approaches wines at two to three times its price point. Even better, the fruit is grown and wine is made through sustainable practices, which could be the reason why Cooper Mountain wines stand apart from some of their peers. In the glass, the '07 Reserve is a very light ruby red, almost to the point of being rose colored....

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Posted by Thad W. at 04:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the folks at Cooper Mountain Vineyards, this 2007 Oregon pinot noir is made with organically and biodynamically grown fruit. In the glass, the Cooper Hill is a medium dark ruby red offering muted notes of red berry fruit giving way to menthol and eucalyptus. As the concentrated color suggests, this wine is a bit sweet, delivering slightly candied fruit flavors. There is good acidity to counter the sweetness, but not much there beyond a fast and fleeting taste of fruit. We used a half of bottle of the Cooper Hill 2007 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13%) in a...

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Posted by Thad W. at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) After enjoying a bottle of Cooper Mountain's 2003 Reserve Pinot Noir (13.5%) last March, I was excited to get my hands on another bottle, this time the 2006 vintage, which I purchased at retail for $23. We paired this Oregon pinot noir with a combination pizza comprised of ham, mushrooms, tomatoes on one half, and prosciutto, goat cheese, tomatoes, basil, mushrooms on the other. It ended up being a great combination of food and wine, with the flavors of the pizza being brought to life by the Cooper Mountain pinot. As I mentioned...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Last Saturday night, we were entertaining my brother-in-law, Kris, who was visiting from London. Kari cooked up a big batch of pasta all’ amatriciana (tomato-based sauce with pancetta) along with a leaf lettuce salad in an olive oil and wine vinegar dressing. To accompany the meal, we served a bottle of wine that Kris's mother had brought us a while back, a Cooper Mountain 2003 Estate Pinot Noir. It offered a pleasant surprise for Kris to learn that the wine in his glass was a gift from his mother. The Cooper Mountain pinot...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)