I recently received some credits from Lot18 for participating in their Twitter contests and promotions. I decided to spend the credits on this Boedecker Cellars Athena Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley in Oregon. This is the 2007 vintage. Boedecker Cellars is currently selling the 2008 vintage on their website.
I poured this into a decanter, and I noticed that the wine improved as the evening went on. This wine really needs time to open up. I’d recommend decanting for an hour or more. It is still very drinkable right from the bottle, but you’ll get more flavor if you can decant it.
On the nose, I get berries and floral (maybe lavender).
I’m not getting much fruit on the palate, but I do taste some berries. There’s some fairly prominent oak, including a hint of chocolate on the finish. The acidity is a bit on the high side for drinking by itself, but the acidity allows it to pair well with food. There’s also some fairly strong tannins on the finish.
It’s a good wine, but not quite what I was expecting from a Pinot Noir. I think it might be a bit excessive on the oak. It’s still an enjoyable wine. It’s just different from what I typically get from a Pinot Noir. This might be partly because I’ve had mostly California Pinot Noir in the past. One reviewer on CellarTracker described this as an “old world” style wine. All of the Pinot Noir wines I’ve had in the past have been “New World” wines, so that may also be the difference.
Even though it isn’t quite what I expected, I still enjoyed the wine, and I’m glad that I have a second bottle to enjoy later. I’m giving this a “Very Good” rating.
I received this wine at a discount using credits from Lot18.
Wine Details
Producer: Boedecker Cellars
Vintage: 2007
Variety: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Alcohol: 13.5% ABV
My Rating: Very Good
