2013/2014 Pinot Noir

Vintages 2013 and 2014 create different yet delicious drinking experiences

Anindor Vineyards 2013 Elkton Pinot Noir

Offering a wide number of flavors on a pronounced nose, this wine welcomes with dusty floral notes, strawberry, cigar box spice and sweet, fresh cherry. A bright lifted acidity is carried by smoky, leather undertones. Is it feminine? Masculine? Who cares. It is definitely attractive. Enjoy now or follow where this wine goes with a bit of cellaring. $24 (117 cases)

Reustle-Prayer Rock 2013 “Winemaker’s Reserve” Umpqua Valley Pinot Noir

Beautiful in the glass, inviting on the nose, this serious, dry Pinot somehow hints at the comforting flavors of Grandma’s fruit pastries. Aromas of cherry, cranberry, marzipan, smoke and clove entice, while the palate evokes memories of tart cherry pastry and cherry croissant — even the tannins resembles the flavors of a cherry pit. Both tart and rich, the wine ends with a long, clean, bright finish. $39 (600 cases)

Arcane Cellars 2013 “Sufi Vineyard” Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir

Imagine driving through Central Oregon with the windows down on a summer night: You catch a hint of smoke wafting from a distant campfire with a mix of dust and the concentrated aromas of dry desert plants, such as juniper bark and sagebrush. Now take a sip of this selection. Fresh flavors of cherry and strawberry and a velvety texture that reaches an apex in the mid-palate — gradually subsiding like melting chocolate — add to the earthy taste experience, ending with notes of flowers and a hint of walnut carrying through the long, satisfying finish. $48 (128 cases)

Van Duzer Vineyards 2013 “Westside Blocks” Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

An inviting nose of fresh cherry, evergreen, smoke and warm baking spices — cinnamon, clove, allspice — leads to a sophisticated palate of tart cherry pie and herbes de Provence — especially lavender and rosemary. An extra dash of tartness to roll around your tongue gives you something to ponder before the next sip. $60 (272 cases)

Cardwell Hill Cellars 2013 Pommard Block Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

This wine offers a lot to think about. Cherry, stone, smoke, blood orange oil and Italian plum on the nose; while anise, smoke, stewed cherries and oolong tea dominate the palate. Notes of cinnamon stick flavor the finish, yet there is another descriptor… What is that other flavor? Sassafras? Yes, that’s sassafras. Not a porch pounder, but definitely good for a porch ponder. $28 (226 cases)

Hyland Estates 2013 “Coury” McMinnville Pinot Noir

Scents of strawberry-vanilla jam on toast lead to a surprising and complex palate delivering darker fruits, such as blueberry and smoked cocktail cherries. Herbaceous notes add another layer, ending with the slightest kick of cinnamon oil. $60; 290 cases

A Blooming Hill Vineyard 2014 “Trouble” Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Not obvious as first, this wine opens up to a cornucopia of descriptors making for an interesting yet delicious encounter: orange, cranberry, tea rose, chamomile, eucalyptus and green tea on the nose with sour cherry, lemongrass, cranberry and herbal notes on the palate. Tantalizingly tart, bright and lovely, this wine is great now or later. $30 (396 cases)

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2014 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

A complex nose — leather, plum, cherry, anise and eucalyptus — precedes a big, rich, fruity flavor profile surrounded by an almost creamy texture with hints of marzipan. A complex wine, it finishes smooth, and like the pink rabbit, it keeps going and going and going. $30 (15,767 cases)

Kudos 2014 Reserve Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir

Approachable and integrated in its youth, this Pinot Noir offers sachets of smoke and fruity, floral-scented tea like passion fruit and hibiscus. Full, ripe fruit flavors meld into strawberry jam on the mid-palate and through the long finish. $21.99 (4,200 cases)

Coeur de Terre 2013 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Spring captured in a bottle with strawberries and rhubarb aromas joined on the palate by cola, blueberry and sweet green herbal notes. Well-integrated tannin and acid, and a bright finish make this a perfect way to toast the season. $22 (1,685 cases)

Durant 2013 “La Paloma” Dundee Hills Pinot Noir

Can we use “pretty” and “nice” as tasting terms? Cherries, honeysuckle and a field of fresh spring blossoms greet the nose, while the palate offers a baked, confected element — not jammy fruit but rather a cherry-vanilla custard — mixed with cola. Nice, huh? Pretty? Very much so. $35 (420 cases)

Left Coast Cellars 2014 “Cali’s Cuvée” EstateWillamette Valley Pinot Noir

The smoky, meatier side of Pinot Noir. Dark stewed cherries, spicy charcuterie, warm notes of Mexican chocolate get a lift from strawberry and rhubarb flavors. A complex, masculine wine that could stand up to red meats and summertime grilling. $24 (56 cases)