The 2005 Pinot Noir Estate “Southeast Block” is from a portion of the vineyard planted in 1979 to the Pommard clone. It offers dark fruits and mouth-filling flavors albeit in the racy, high acid, structured style of the vintage. It will benefit from 4-6 years of cellaring. The fact the Casteel Reserve stands out from the pack (at least for this taster) raises the obvious question about blending vs. terroir. The eight Bethel Heights Pinot Noirs have far more in common than they do differences making me wonder what justifies eight separate cuvees. As a consumer, I’d rather have more Casteel. And it is, after all, essentially from one (slightly larger) terroir reflecting the Eola Hills - Amity AVA.Bethel Heights Vineyard is one of Oregon’s pioneer producers. The winery was founded in 1977 and the first vintage was in 1984. Currently, 70% of the wine comes from estate grown fruit and production stands at 13,000 cases. In addition to Pinot Noir, Bethel Heights also makes excellent Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay.Tel. (503) 581-2262; www.bethelheights.com. Also tasted: 2006 Pinot Gris (88), 2006 Pinot Blanc (87), 2006 Chardonnay “Quercus” (89)
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