Pinot Noir and Copper River Salmon - Part 1

Pinot Noir: What Food Lovers Need in a Red Wine

Many people express the opinion that Cabernet Sauvignon is the “King” of red wines. For food pairing, gourmets often look to Pinot Noir for subtle, complex character that pairs more elegantly with a wider range of foods. In recent decades, Cabernet Sauvignon wines have become bigger, more alcoholic and more oaky. These characteristics are not conducive to enjoying complex, subtle foods with flavor nuances and delicious sauces.

Since the 1980s, the Pacific Northwest has seen a movement to matching Pinot Noir with Alaskan wild salmon. Certainly the fish is rich enough to accommodate the wine (especially when grilled to add subtle smoky flavors) and most Northwest Pinot Noir wines are not made with excessive oak character or an overripe flavor profile.

As a varietal wine, Pinot Noir offers a spectrum of aromas and flavors derived from the warmth of the growing season. Most wines – even from cool climate Oregon and Coastal California – approach or exceed 14 percent alcohol. You will probably find Pinot Noir wines to have dark cherry and plum aromas and flavors with toasty-spicy nuances from oak aging.

 
Brandborg Winery 2014 Pinot Noir, Ferris Wheel Vineyard, Umpqua Valley - $38

Terry and Sue Brandborg farm Pinot Noir and other varietals in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley and invite you to visit their tasting room in Elkton. My tasters were thrilled to taste Terry’s 2014 Pinot Noir from their estate Ferris Wheel Vineyard. The wine has aged into a complex, nearly perfect example of what Oregon Pinot Noir can be. Harmonious aromas and flavors include black cherry, earthy/woodsy mineral, tangy red cherry on the palate with balancing acidity that pairs beautifully with the salmon. www.brandborgwine. com

Left Coast Cellars 2015 Pinot Noir, Estate, Latitude 45 - $38

As Left Coast Cellars celebrates its fifteen-year anniversary, the winery continues its streak of quality wines and its stewardship of their estate near Rickreall, Oregon.  Meticulously cultivated gardens and vineyards greet the visitor to the tasting room located four miles north of Highway 22 on Pacific Highway 99W.  Their estate Pinot Noir is named Latitiude 45 for the winery’s location on that parallel, halfway between the equator and the North Pole. Enjoy aromas and flavors of candied dark cherry, sweet oak, flinty mineral and hints of citrus and forest floor.  www.leftcoastwine.com

 
Kendall Jackson 2017 Pinot Noir, Jackson Estate, Petaluma Gap - $40

Jackson Estate wines showcase the company’s cherished vineyard estate properties located in the prime growing areas of California. The Petaluma Gap AVA is east of the town of the same name and refers to a gap in the Coast Range that allows cooling ocean breezes to moderate the warm summer California days. The wine offers ripe Pinot Noir aromas and flavors of dark cherry and pomegranate with ample toasty oak, caramel and vanilla to please modern palates.  www.kj.com

King Estate 2017 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley - $29

Oregon’s largest winery, King Estate was founded in 1991 and continues to fine tune their wine offerings – concentrating more on smaller production wines - and create new opportunities for visiting wine tourists.  The winery restaurant, tasting room and touring staff accommodate the many eager visitors who come to taste wines and admire the 1,000+ acre estate and French style chateau winery. Enjoy the 2017 signature Pinot Noir for ripe cherry and jammy strawberry mingling with mineral and toasty oak. www.kingestate.com

Iris Vineyards 2015 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley - $24

Iris Vineyards is nestled in the foothills of the Coast Range mountains 20 minutes southwest of Eugene, Oregon. Their Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a great bargain offering fruit-forward aromas and flavors touting dark cherry, plum and citrus to invite further enjoyment of superb balance and food-friendly acidity. Irisvineyards.com

Elk Cove 2017 Pinot Noir, Mount Richmond, Yamhill-Carlton AVA - $60

Elk Cove winery has always been revered for their vineyard-designated bottlings of Pinot Noir. Founded in 1974, Elk Cove is the Oregon success story of Pat and Joe Campbell and their family, local wine pioneers who transformed their Coast Range foothills property into one of the state’s most prized wine estates – worth a visit! Enjoy their Mount Richmond Pinot Noir for rich black cherry, plum and earthy mineral flavors that pair perfectly with salmon from the grill.  Elkcove.com

Stoller Family Estate 2017 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills - $30

The Stoller Family has farmed their estate since 1943, with the vineyard planted 50 years later. The 400-acre property is the largest contiguous vineyard in Oregon’s Dundee Hills. From pruning to bottling, every step in winemaking is controlled by the wine estate. Made exclusively from estate fruit, this Pinot Noir offers aromas and flavors of red fruits, baking spice and cola with silky tannins and a long finish. Stollerfamilyestate.com

Talbott 2017 Pinot Noir, Kali Hart Estate, Monterey - $21

This wine is named for owner Robb Talbott’s younger daughter and comes from the Monterey County AVA. Aromas of red cherry and cranberry mingle with hints of vanilla and toasty oak, leading to a palate of bright red fruits with excellent acidity for pairing with your favorite summer meats or salmon from the grill.  Talbottvineyards.com

WillaKenzie 2016 Pinot Noir, Estate. Willamette Valley - $30

WillaKenzie Estate is named for the sedimentary soil on which the estate is planted which in turn is a tribute to the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers of western Oregon. The winery is a popular tourist stop for wine lovers keen to enjoy fine Pinot Noir, a picnic or even a game of Pétanque! Look for ripe strawberry and raspberry on the nose with hints of blood orange and forest floor. The juicy palate offers good balance and acidity for pairing with salmon from the grill. Willakenzie.com

David Hill Vineyards 2016 Pinot Noir, Estate, WV - $24

This historic estate near Forest Grove, Oregon has a long and colorful history of grape growing and wine making. Vines were planted here c. 1883 on the Reuter family homestead – wines were made and lauded for quality. Prohibition saw the removal of vines, but vineyards were replanted by Charles Coury in the late 1960s.  The 2016 estate Pinot Noir offers red cherry and pomegranate with notes of spice and caramel – nice acid balance to pair with salmon. Davidhillwinery.com

Tyee Wine Cellars 2016 Pinot Noir, Estate, WV - $28

I have known the Buchanan family and their Tyee Wine Cellars near Corvallis for over 30 years since the founding of the winery in 1985. Daughter Merrilee Buchanan Benson crafted this wine from a combination of all of the Pinot Noir in Tyee’s Estate Vineyard including vines from 42 to 16 years old. Look for red cherry and strawberry fruit with notes of raspberry candy and mineral.  tyeewine.com

Elk Cove Vineyards 2018 Pinot Noir Rosé, Estate - $22

Pinot Noir fruit for Elk Cove Rosé  is hand-harvested very ripe and whole cluster pressed with limited skin crushing to reduce color extraction and  phenolics. The wine is cool fermented in stainless steel and is finished completely dry. Aromas and flavors of strawberry, rhubarb and tropical citrus mingle with floral notes. The balance and structure of the wine make it a perfect pairing with salmon from the grill.

Iris Vineyards 2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Oregon - $18

Winemakers at Iris Vineyards allowed approximately 15 hours of skin contact before pressing this cuvee to tank. Fermentation took place in a combination of stainless steel and French oak barrels. The rich salmon pink color of the wine invites a sniff and a sip revealing a nose of strawberry, floral perfume and watermelon. On the palate the watermelon and strawberry is  joined by bright citrus notes of grapefruit and blood orange.