Benton Lane Winery Pinot Noir 2008

Pinot Noir is the name of the game at Benton Lane, the Oregon-based winery established by noted Californian producer Steve Girard. Notes of undergrowth provide a nice earthy counterpoint to the bright strawberry fruit.

The 2008 Pinot Noir Estate, medium ruby in color, it offers up an alluring nose of cedar, spice box, incense, cherry, and raspberry that jumps from the glass. Made in a racy style and already displaying some complexity, this savory, spicy effort has good depth, length, and 1ndash;2 years of aging potential. It will provide considerable pleasure from 2012 to 2020.

The 2008 Pinot Noir Estate, medium ruby in color, it offers up an alluring nose of cedar, spice box, incense, cherry, and raspberry that jumps from the glass. Made in a racy style and already displaying some complexity, this savory, spicy effort has good depth, length, and 1-2 years of aging potential. It will provide considerable pleasure from 2012 to 2020. Light, bright red. Bright aromas of strawberry and raspberry, plus a hint of dusty herbs. Red fruit flavors are framed by dusty tannins and pick up a spicy quality with aeration. The taut finish repeats the strawberry note and leaves a touch of anise behind. Aeration made this wine more supple, suggesting that it will be better with another year or so in the bottle.

This brilliantly ruby tinted wine has classic aromas of cherries, red currants and raspberries with more subtle hints of baking spice and vanilla layered in. On the palate, it exhibits lithe fruitiness and lingering cherry and berry flavors. The wine shows extraordinary balance and finesse with fine grained tannis that provide a nice framework to the silky mid-palate.

RP: 90 Points ST: 87 Points

Scents of the soil and white pepper ground the rose petal redness of this wine. The plush, supple tannins that aren't particularly varietal, but even with that soft ripeness the wine doesn't feel heavy. Pair its meaty cherry flavors with poached salmon.

Tight and crisp for now, showing mostly a green edge to the fruit and the graham cracker flavors of new oak, this has a wet-clay earthiness that should develop into complexity as the fruit opens with age.