The 2006 Pinot Noir Terres Basses is the most burly, masculine wine in the portfolio. Nearly purple in color, it delivers lots of spice, violets, and black fruits. The most structured and dense of these wines, it has plenty of fine-grained tannin, layers of succulent fruit, good balance, and 2-3 years of aging potential. It will offer a drinking window extending from 2011 to 2021. Willakenzie Estate remains a reliable source for well-made and fairly priced Pinot Noir. Their vineyard-designated wine are held back for an additional year before release so these 2006s are the current offerings. The differences between the various vineyard designates are subtle (each parcel has its own clonal selection, exposure, and age of vines); personally I would like to see a cuvee of the top barrels encompassing all of these sites for purposes of comparison but, alas, they do not make one. Tel. (503) 662-5026; www.willakenzie.com

This Terres Basses shows sweet, pretty strawberry/cherry fruit scents and flavors, but lacks the textural concentration of previous vintages. It’s a very tasty wine, but it feels as if most of the flavor is on the surface; the fruit quickly leads into the tannins, and then it’s over and out. Perhaps more time will open it up.——P.G.(12/15/2009)—— 88