The 2009 Pinot Noir Reserve is a bit more concentrated and complex. Despite its light color, it reveals considerable depth and concentration for the vintage, incipient complexity, and an elegant personality It is likely to evolve for 2-3 years and given Eyrie’s track record, should drink well for a decade. It is one of the stars of the vintage. Unfortunately I was unable to meet with Jason Lett this year, but The Eyrie Vineyards’ wines generally speak for themselves. Eyrie has begun to release (for the first time) their legendary South Block Reserve bottling. It was the 1975, a wine I have tasted recently and rated 97 points, that put Willamette Valley Pinot Noir on the map.www.eyrievineyards.com

The 2007 Pinot Noir Estate Reserve is a suave, velvety wine with an alluring perfume of smoke and toasty red fruits. More concentrated and riper than the Estate bottling, this stylish effort will evolve for 1-2 years and offer prime drinking from 2011 to 2019. It is one of the stars of the vintage. A visit to The Eyrie Vineyards where Jason Lett presides is like getting a history lesson in how wine used to be made (and some might say still should be made). From the grape growing through the elevage, this is an artisanal, non-interventionist, unique operation that continues to turn out some of the most fascinating wines on the planet. Knowing Eyrie Pinot Noir’s propensity for longevity, my drinking windows are likely to seem conservative a decade from now.Tel. (503) 472-6315; www.eyrievineyards.com