The 2007 Pinot Noir Pierre Leon Estate spent 14 months in 50% new oak and is made up of mainly of Dijon clones. Rounder, riper, and weightier than the preceding wines, it displays lots of spice on both the nose and palate, cherry and raspberry flavors, and a sense of elegance. This nicely balanced, lengthy effort will offer prime drinking from 2012 to 2019.
Willakenzie Estate believes in giving their Pinot Noirs an extra year of bottle age prior to release so their current vintage is 2007. This is likely to prove a wise decision because the 2007s I tasted on this trip had generally gained weight with a year in bottle. This is a fine set of wines from a challenging vintage. In addition, for the first time, Willakenzie has made a blend from all of their estate vineyards, held it back for an extra year, and labeled it Reserve. The 2006 Reserve is superior to any of the single vineyard wines from that vintage.
Tel. (503) 662-5026; www.willakenzie.com