Oregon Pinot at its finest

Domaine Serene has been one of my favorite Oregon Pinot Noir producers for some time now. I became reacquainted with their delicious wines at Pinot Days last month.


The 2009 Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir ($45/bottle) is a beautiful example of elegance and earthiness. Ruby-hued and transparent, this wine smells of cherry blossom and dried herbs. It greets your taste buds with flavors of black cherry and red currant. The mid-palate displays leather and earthy notes. The bright acidity is followed by a dry, long-lasting finish of red fruit.

This wine is a delight. It shows refinement and restraint, and the potential to cellar for many years. Delicious to drink on it own but would pair nicely with pork chops or any dish with mushrooms. 

The winery and sustainably farmed vineyards are located in Yamhill County in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. In addition to Pinot Noir, they produce small quantities of Chardonnay and Syrah. Their wines regularly receive 90-95 point scores from wine publications. I have yet to visit their tasting room, but I've heard many good things about the experience.

As I said above, I have been a fan of Domaine Serene wines for a while now. They are not a new establishment; in fact, the winery is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.

The first time I had the opportunity to taste one of their wines was about six years ago; at the time, I worked at Wine Spectator Magazine and Harvey Steiman had just finished a tasting of more than 60 Oregon Pinot samples (meaning there were 60 almost-full bottles of Pinot Noir up for grabs). I was drawn to the elegant label of the Domaine Serene. It was--and still is--quite the memorable wine.

I received this bottle of the Yamhill Cuvée for review purposes. You can order it from their website and it's also available at K&L Wine Merchants. Cheers!