Winery - Torii Mor
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Although the Hawks View Vineyard bottling remains one of the lighter wines from Torii Mor, in 2006 it feels riper than the aggressively green 2005. The fruit is tight and tart, but tasty and leading from cranberry to wild strawberry and raspberry. There is plenty of acid and it is so young and tight that it is entirely possible that this wine will blossom with bottle age.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A bright and tangy wine with sour cherry and dried-flower notes on the nose. Raspberry and cola flavors and some vanillin oak notes dance on the palate Medium finish with classic Pinot tartness. A pretty wine.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Cherries and herbs to start, with a distinctive, spicy edge to the nose. The bright cherry fruit comes open with some breathing time, and this knits beautifully together into a soft, lush, harmonious wine with just the right accents of bark and root to add interest.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The black label Torii Mor Pinot is the entry-level wine, clean and fresh with clear varietal character. The fruit flavors are tart and lean, but combined with the bouquet offer elegant details with herb and earthy components. The alcohol is a sensible 13.8% and as the wine breathes open it suggests lightly smoked ham and hints of pepper.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This blend of many vineyard lots seems less than the sum of its parts. Pungently herbal with characteristic Oregon tomato leaf tannins, its fruit remains hidden beneath the tannins. Age may enhance its beauty, but for the moment it remains tight and unyielding, with suggestions of heat around the cranberry/pomegranate fruit.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is a barrel selection from the winery’s three Dundee Hills Vineyards, a step or two up from its Oregon and Willamette Valley bottlings. It’s more precisely crafted, with a focus on a midpalate flavors of wild cherry and currant. The acids keep it sharp and bright, and the tannins are smooth and supple, so the wine glides into a seamless finish, which turns almost lemony.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is surprisingly light, with insubstantial fruit flavors of tart cranberry and red currant. It doesn’t seem to have much weight or depth; perhaps it’s just shut down, as Pinot Noir will do. The wine just hits the palate and falls away, which is not consistent with previous efforts.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The Shea vineyard is still recovering from extensive post-phylloxera replanting, and many of the wines produced from its fruit seem much lighter than in the past. Here, however it compensates, at least partially, with a graceful, elegant composition. The mix of red fruits, mineral and light spring herbs is perfectly set against polished tannins. I would expect this wine to add texture and complexity over the next decade or more.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Cherry, smoke, spice, cola aromas, very complex and clean, lead to a real bite of tart acidity on the palate. This sting should mellow out with some months of age, allowing the pretty fruit and dry, polished tannins to show through.
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