Pinot gris is a hit and miss variety with me. Unfortunately, the Westrey 2007 Pinot Gris Willamette Valley (13%) was a miss, for it just wasn't my style due to it being a bit too thick and tropical for my taste. In the glass, the Westrey pinot gris was a bright, greenish gold color offering tropical notes of pineapple, papaya, and melon. It was slightly sweet on the palate at first, with nice fruit leading to bright acidity. Overall, it was too viscous and cloying. When it comes to pinot gris, I favor the crisper, mineral approach, with enough fruit...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This Oregon pinot noir from 2007 is a wine that showed well from the first pour in the glass to the last sip with dinner. The Westrey 2007 Pinot Noir (13.5%) was a bit cloudy in the glass, offering red berry fruits, floral perfume, and earthy notes to the nose, while delivering great acidity and flavors of strawberry/cherry fruit, licorice, and toast, leading to a long, lasting finish. We paired the Westrey with a couple of pizzas Kari crafted, one a caramelized onion, Salumi salami, rosemary, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the other a mozzarella, olive, artichoke, tomato sauce, and pickled...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:42 PM | Permalink

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) With wild king salmon and fresh asparagus on the grill, I opened a bottle of Westrey 2006 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13.5%) to see if this wine measured up to the billing it received on the back label: Westrey wines are styled to be mouth-filling and generous in a context of rich texture and balanced acidity. Winemakers Amy Wesselman and David Autrey craft distinctive wines while allowing each bottling to express its vineyards of origin. In keeping with the philosophy of minimal handling, this wine has been bottled unfiltered. For the salmon, Kari...

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Posted by Thad W. at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)