McKinlay, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley

Aged beyond a good drink date

2001 vintage

Standard profile for this talented producer: transparent and delicate on the palate, medium-long finish, and remarkably reasonably priced. This 2018 still benefited from 1 hour+ aeration in bottle.

2018 vintage

Nice light but flavorful Pinot. On the simple side, but quite pleasant and great accompaniment with lighter fare - in our case, homemade chicken burritos. I found the flavor profile to be nice and without a metallic note that the previous post describes.

2018 vintage

On paper this wine should be right in my wheelhouse. Love the weightless feel and red fruited profile but there was something I didn't care for in the flavors. My btl had a metallic edge I didn't care for that made it fairly unappealing, for me. Likely just an off btl. Doubt Ill revisit.

2018 vintage

Cherry, red fruit, some vanilla from oak, slight spice, some earthy funk. Lighter body but smells and tastes like Willamette Valley PN. And (as Tunaguy pointed out) it's $18 retail. What's not to like? It's not something to hold, but it should drink fine over the next couple of years.

2018 vintage

light and airy with florals and funk. red fruited and some vanilla. not for everyone but for me a very nice wine, especially at $18

2018 vintage

I pulled this out of my cellar as I am trying to drink up all of my older wines. I found this wine to have very good pinot fruit without tannin. I was really shocked at how good it was. This makes the argument of having wines in a cellar at 55 degrees and 70% humidity over the long haul is the way to go. I love this wine. Glad I have 3 more to drink.

1995 vintage

Very similar to the first bottle I opened last year -- this was in good shape. The last cork must have been compromised somehow. In any case, a lovely aged wine that had really nice bright/sweet aromatics for the first 20 minutes or so that kind of folded up and caved in a bit. The core here was cherry fruit, plum, a touch of forest floor with almost no oak to speak of. Medium low in weight and acid, but …

1995 vintage

this one was faded and barely hanging on...much different than other bottle

1995 vintage

Slow ox'd for 1 hour. Pours a hazy dark red with very little bricking. Nose is initially quite open, with generous cherry fruit and some oak. With some air and time in the glass, this reveals itself as a surprisingly youthful but straightforward Oregon pinot noir. There are not tiers of complexity and secondary nuances, but the wine is impeccably balanced between bright, tart fruit, baking spices, a hint of menthol, some iron, and just a touch of funk (not …

1995 vintage

Very light pinot, in color and taste. Tart red fruits and a bit of acid. OK.

2007 vintage

Meant to grab '08 but grabbed an '07. I;d probably rate this better than the average here. The first thing I can think of here is the overused "burgundian" descriptor. But it is. The deft, albeit light, touch, the transparency, even perhaps a hint of barnyard, all make me think of burgundy. With a bit of air it takes on a more classically Oregon profile. In any case, I like this. For me subtle, pretty, balanced, and transparent are the …

2007 vintage

Opened not decanted. Bramble fruit on the nose. On the palate: earth, Concord grape, orange rind; light in body with a short finish, ends with some heat. Fair to Good.

2007 vintage

Popped and poured. Good oak, fruit comes through more on the back end. Pleasant but lacking much depth

2007 vintage

Popped and poured. Nice smooth oak and red fruit on the nose. Same on the palate. Did not improve a whole lot with air, but was nice to begin with. Not very complex, but nice texture and balance. One to the top sub-$20 Oregon pinots I've had... actually probably one of the better $15 bottles of wine you can buy. A true value. I like. Day 2: Continues to show nicely. Acid shines, but has lost some texture. Still good, …

2007 vintage

Too light bodied for my tastes. Finish is weak also.

2007 vintage

I went to the Match Vineyard Cab tasting at Wine on Piedmont, a new (to me) store in Oakland, I'd never visited before. There was a surprising selection of OR pinots, more so than from CA. Rick Allen, of Heater Allen Brewery in McMinnville, OR, introduced me to this producer last year when we were in the area and I wanted to revisit. Opened not decanted. Showing some clarity at the edge of the glass; transparent red in color. Dark …

2007 vintage

I loved this. As an $18 Pinot, I thought it was excellent. Nice fruit on the backend, subtle but enjoyable nose and initial presence. Easy drinking wine for a light dinner and a good display of what Oregon Pinot for the everyman is all about.

2007 vintage

did not come together as I had expected. I really think it needs time to flesh out.

2007 vintage

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McKinlay, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley

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