Love Fifteen

Oregon 2015 Pinots aim and score

Kramer Vineyards 2015 Rebecca’s Reserve Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton

Both spice and earth define this Pinot Noir. Aromas of tangerine zest, cherry, dried mint and orange-scented tea leaves waft from the glass with a whisper of cinnamon. Flavors of black pepper and green cardamom add interest to the palate as well as fresh, cool forest flavors and sassafras. Sturdy structure and a lingering, earthy finish.
$48; 100 cases

Erath 2015 Estate Selection Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley

A fruit-forward Pinot offering blueberry and raspberry aromas sweetened with cinnamon and floral notes, grounded with dusty minerality. Plum, strawberry, and Red Delicious apple combine on the palate with a citrus acidity and a bitter little bite of black pepper on the finish. Well-rounded and well-structured.
$34: 5,461 cases

ArborBrook 2015 Estate 777 Block Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains

Warm cherry pie filling and candied apple meet white pepper and dried oregano on the nose, while an inviting, complex layering of fruit, spicy pepper and something herbaceous tickles the palate. Savory notes take center stage with a lengthy, peppery finish and grippy yet refined tannin.
$55; 325 cases

Durant Vineyards 2015 Lark Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills

Light, elegant, feminine, this wine offers a nose of raspberry, red currant, floral, mineral and woodsy lavender. A prominent floral palate deepens with hints of cherry-vanilla cola. Juicy acidity materializes mid-palate, adding lift and spreading across a long, spicy finish. Store it or pour it; lovely either way.
$30; 500 cases

Knudsen Vineyards 2015 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills

Rich, saturated and perfect for the cozy season, this wine smells of dusty minerality, earth, bark, roasted coffee, walnut skin, leather and dried flowers. Next, concentrated cherry and plum swirl on the palate with cola, milk chocolate, smoke and coconut. Substantial structure and zingy acid underline the exceptional taste experience.
$70; 220 cases

Longplay 2015 Jory Bench Reserve Lia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains

Autumn in a glass. Dried orange peel, cinnamon, cloves, red fruit compote and brown sugar please the nose. Same notes repeat on the palate joined with a little strawberry lift and minty sweetness that embraces on the finish. Ready to drink in its youth.
$38; 150 cases

Van Duzer Vineyards 2015 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

Seductive, elegant, understated, the Pinot smells of light, fresh Bing cherry, toasted oats and a dried woody herb — maybe tarragon — with a whiff of licorice. Flavors meld and concentrate on the palate with a dash of white pepper, a floral essence and a springy acidity. Approachable, even in its youth.
$32; 7,602 cases

Bradley Vineyards 2015 Reserve Pinot Noir, Elkton

The ultimate “library” wine reveals masculine aromas of tobacco, leather, dusty minerality, smoked meat, toasted wood and thyme. The palate speaks to you in a sensual baritone, promising cocoa, stewed blackberries, orange zest and a footnote of cherry.
$32; 119 cases

Torii Mor 2015 “Deux Verres” Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley

A sultry wine with a depth and maturity beyond its age. Sweetened scents of strawberry, toast, cola, vanilla and marzipan invite the first — and second, and so on — taste of leather, plum sauce, dried fruit and smoke meld on an already well-integrated palate. A bright cranberry-flavored acidity keeps it vivacious.
$38; 200 cases

William Rose 2015 Pinot Noir, Oregon

This wine’s wild and fresh with blueberry, mint, green peppercorn, oolong tea and rainforest on the nose. The palate begins with sour cherry ripening midway, becoming jammy and then darkening to blueberry through the sustained finish. Green peppercorn makes a spicy encore, and fresh acidity keeps everything lively.
$28; 344 cases

Whitetail Ridge Vineyard 2015 Pinot Noir, Umpqua Valley

Big, dark and brooding in appearance, structure and flavor, the wine offers a complex nose of cherry and blackberry, marzipan, coconut, toast, leather, coffee and tobacco. Mixed berry essence and sweet pipe tobacco flavors impress the palate with substantial yet balanced tannin and acid.
$23; 68 cases