Elk Cove Pinot Noir Wilamette Valley Mt. Richmond 2007

Carries more meat and muscle than many Willamette Valley bottlings. Stiff and tannic, it definitely puts an herbal edge up front. Yoursquo;ll want to decant it.

Elk Cove Vineyardrsquo;s 2007 Pinot Noir Williamette Valley accounts for 80% of the wineryrsquo;s substantial production. Medium ruby-colored, it offers up a pleasing perfume of smoke, spice box, cherry and cranberry. Easy-going and elegant on the palate, this tasty, well-balanced effort can be enjoyed over the next 6 years.

This opens right up into a lovely, expressive nose laden with cherry blossom, plum, vanilla and butterscotch. The core of sweet raspberry and cherry holds steady into a moderately tannic finish, etched with some green tannins and dried herbs. Smooth, silky and substantial, this relative value could cellar for another 6-8 years.

This is a lovely bottle from a vineyard planted in 1974. Its an almost-perfect mix of flower fruit and stone. It mixes the flavors elegantly into a wine that captures the elegance of the grape along with bright fruit crisp acids and just the right amount of herb. 91 PointsWine Enthusiast.

Good winemaking is evident here. This is clean and fresh, with light, appealing flavors of berry, cola and chocolate-covered espresso bean. The wine has a smooth, silky texture, and feels substantial without being fat or hot. It is certainly ageworthy and it wouldn't surprise me if it lasted a decade or more. But tough to keep your hands off it right now.

A big-shouldered wine with hedonistic black cherry compote scents, this is lashed with caramelized oak. It's deep and concentrated, uncomplicated but fairly irresistible, and would be delicious with lean beef, like marinated flank. Best Buy.

Light and fragrant, offering raspberry and cherry fruit nestling gently into a bed of velvety tannins, hinting at beets on the finish. Drink now through 2014.