Panther Creek, located in McMinnville Oregon, is passionate about its wine and that passion leads them to source fruit from some of that state’s top vineyard spots who are operated by folks who have a similar passion. Its Pinot Noir has garnered a large number of accolades over the years and has been some of my personal favorite since first tasting them a couple of years ago.

2007 Freedom Hills Pinot Noir – W.E.P. Rating: 100%

Technical Data:

Appellation: Willamette Valley

Alcohol: 14.10%

Composition: Pinot Noir: 100% Freedom Hill Vineyard

$40.00 bottle

Nose: Sharpie pen, burnt tire, cranberries, sour cherry, wet cedar and currant.

Taste: Black sour cherries and cranberries hit the front palate with authority. Next up, on the mid-palalte is the flavors of some leather, tobacco, cedar, dark chocolate and the sharpie pen. Good finish that hangs out for awhile and finishes with all kinds of stellar, tart red fruits.

2007 Verde Vineyards Pinot Noir – W.E.P. Rating: 75%

Technical Data:

Appellation: Willamette Valley

Alcohol: 12.90%

Composition: Pinot Noir: 40% Momtazi Vineyard, 30% Temperance Hill Vineyard, and 30% Elton Vineyard

$35.00 bottle

Nose: Dried cherries, lavender, shoe polish, cranberries, cinnamon and a touch of cedar.

Taste: Good red fruit on the attack of cherry and cranberries and some nice hints of vanilla and Christmas spices as well. Good mid palate tranisition with both acidity and tannins holding together, however, the finish is actually a bit short for me. Overall, this isn’t a bad pinot for $35 but there are others I’d seek out in its price range.

On the web: www.panthercreekcellars.com

No doubt, the movie Sideways did a lot to bolster the sales of Pinot a few years ago and while I’m not at all a fan of the movie’s impact on wine sales (it shows we as a culture are too easily talked into what to drink), I do like a good pinot.

To wine fans around the world, Burgundy will always remain the undisputed Pinot king as the vineyards there and the way they’ve been made into world-class wines far superceeds even the very existence of our great nation. When I think of good American Pinot, I’m drawn to areas like the Willamette Valley in Oregon as well as California’s Central Coast region – so it was a no-brainer for me to match up a couple of different Pinot’s that arrived in the past couple of weeks.

I also realize that no matter what the outcome of this review, that I’ll end-up pissing-off either the new-world or old-world folks – but frankly, I don’t care. I’m all about the wine, regardless of where it came from and you should be as well.

2007 Bouchaine Pinot Noir – Carneros – W.E.P. Rating: 90%

Technical Data:

• Appellation: Carneros
• Varietal: Pinot Noir
• Alcohol: 14.1%
• Maturation: 10 to 11 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels, approximately 30% new
• Clones include: Dijon, Pommard and Swan Selection
• Price: $30

Nose: Nose: Cherries, vanilla, cranberry, wild game and ink.

Taste: Nice attack of blueberries, cherries and cranberry along with dots of vanila seeds on the front palate with a smooth, full-bodied transition into the mid-palate. Good hints of dirt and clay are here in the mid-area along with a nice touch of cedar. The finish is quite long – and good – this wine is a great representation of how good some of the Pinot’s are out of California.