Wine
Spectator's Harvey Steinman says: "Oregon's
Domaine Serene has always made solid Pinot Noirs, but the winery caught
the brass ring with the much-praised 1998 vintage...."
Robert
Parker, the reknowned wine writer,
named Domaine Serene one of only two outstanding producers of Pinot Noir
in Oregon in his fifth edition of Parkers Wine Buyers Guide, 1999.
Reviews and Ratings
Wine Spectator
90
Côte
Sud Vineyard Chardonnay 1999 $34.99 Lithe, elegant style of Chardonnay lets its apple, pear and honey
flavors play out on a gentle frame, echoing peach and cream notes
on the subtle finish. Drink now through 2004. 755 cases made.---H.S.
90
Clos
du Soleil Vineyard Chardonnay 1999 $38.00 Ripe and buttery, a smooth-textured mouthful of pear, pine- apple,
cream and vanilla flavors that balance beautifully on the long finish.
Has intensity and grace, suggesting it?s worth aging. Drink now through
2006. 246 cases made.---H.S.
90
Evenstad
Reserve Pinot Noir 1998 $45.00 Firm and bright, with appealing currant and raspberry flavors
that shine through a thin veil of fine-grained tannin, echoing nicely
on the lively finish. Best from 2002 through 2008. 1,206 cases made.---H.S.
91+
Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir 1999
$30.00 This winery continues to make big jumps in quality. Its 1998?s
were fine, but if this, its basic Pinot noir, is any indication, 1999
will be a vintage to watch. Rich and generous without an ounce of
excess weight, this lithe, supple Pinot noir lets its blackberry and
currant flavors cascade over a polished frame. Those flavors, and
a hint of olive, linger effortlessly on the long finish. Drink now
through 2008. 930 cases made. ---H.S.
92
Grace
Vineyard Pinot Noir 1998 $75.00 Oregon's Domaine Serene has always made solid Pinot Noirs, but
the winery caught the brass ring with the much-praised 1998 vintage.
Grace, in the Red Hills of Dundee, is one of the several new estate-vineyards
that winemaker Tony Rynders has added to the mix with this vintage,
and this single-vineyard wine is a gem, one of the top bottlings I
have tasted from this vintage. It is rich and spicy, lively, with
dark fruit character shaded by bay leaf, olive and chocolate nuances.
It shows its oak, but has the concentration to carry it through. Drink
now through 2008. ---H.S.
92
Grace
Vineyard Pinot Noir 1999 $75.00 Lithe, elegant and supple. Beautifully focused to show off its
plum, blueberry, mineral and spice flavors, extraordinarily balanced
and elegant through the finish. Drink now through 2008. 426 cases
made.--H.S.
91
Evenstad
Reserve Pinot Noir 1999 $47.00 Supple and generous, a muscular wine with pretty black cherry,
pepper and spice flavors, which finish with a smoky, bittersweet chocolate
note. Tannins are fine, but present. Drink now through 2006. Tasted
twice, with consistent notes. 2,376 cases made.--H.S.
Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine
92
Evenstad
Reserve Pinot Noir 1998 $45.00 Its concentrated ripe red cherry scents come with a background
hint of dried boysenberry, and those extra bits of sap and richness
separate this impressive bottle from the crowd. A fairly fleshy, slightly
coating wine in the mouth, it is rich in feel and deep in extracted
ripe cherry, pulpy flavors, yet it is always in balance and wants
just a brief wait of some three to four years to reach its rewarding
best.
The Journal of the Beverage Testing Institute
95
Evenstad
Reserve Pinot Noir 1998 $45.00 Dark ruby-violet hue. Powerful aromas of licorice, dark fruits,
and oak spice. Concentrated and powerfully fruity flavors upfront
with a full body and an extraordinarily succulent and fruity mid-palate.
Finishes with very supple, civil tannins. The oak is well integrated.
This is as flashy as Oregon Pinot Noir gets. (tasted on 12/08/2000)
94
Grace
Vineyard Pinot Noir 1998 $65.00 Ruby-red hue. Very ripe, perfumed black fruit aromas have a lavish
sweet oak accent. Soft and mouthfilling on the attack with a medium
body and a sensational, gamey, dark fruit finish that goes on for
miles. This aspires to Pinot greatness. Fat and delicious now but
should keep for the mid-term. (tasted on 06/01/2000)
90
Côte
Sud Vineyard Chardonnay 1999 $38.00 Deep golden-yellow hue. Expressive burned butter and tropical
fruit aromas have a note of sweet vanillin. Concentrated and richly-flavored
on the attack with a full body and a long sweet fruit finish. A flashy,
rich wine in a California style. (tasted on 12/08/2000)
The Vine by Clive Coates
19/20
Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir 1999 $47.00 Full colour. Good full, fresh nose. Plenty of fruit and good acidity.
Nicely austere. Full body. Very ripe tannins. Lots of luscious ripe
Pinot. This has plenty of volume but everything is in place. Fat,
rich and creamy at the end. Excellent. Cellar 2006-2016+.--Clive Coates
The Wine Advocate (Robert Parker Jr.)
91+
Grace Vineyard Pinot Noir 1998 $65.00 The luscious 1998 Pinot Noir Grace Vineyard is medium ruby-colored,
and reveals deep sweet cherry and roasted spice aromas. Medium to
full-bodied, opulent, and hedonistically sweet, this red cherry and
candied strawberry-flavored wine is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. There
are no hard edges or angles in this sexy, pleasure-giving wine. Its
finish is long, suave, and silky. Drink it over the next 5 years.
87
Côte Sud Vineyard Chardonnay
1998 $35.00 The 1998 Chardonnay CŪte Sud Vineyard reveals powerful aromas
of spices and toast, intermingled with hints of orange rind. This
medium-to full bodied, broad and powerful, yet elegant wine is filled
with white fruit and smoky oak flavors. Delicious today, it should
evolve well over the next 3-4 years.
88
Côte Sud Vineyard Chardonnay
1999 $38.00 This wine has beguiling spice, vanilla, and floral scents. It
is silky-textured, expansive, and medium-bodied. This well-focused
wine has good to excellent depth of toasty, floral, minerally, white
fruit flavors. It is loaded with white peaches, butter, and hits of
hazelnuts. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.
90
Grace Vineyard Pinot Noir 1999 $75.00 The black cherry and fresh herb-scented Grace Vineyard has an
opulent, lush, medium to full-bodied character. This feminine, silky-textured
wine is loaded with soft, sweet cherries, raspberries and strawberries.
This seamless wine has outstanding focus, depth of fruit and harmony.
Anticipated maturity: 2004-2012.
89
Mark Bradford Vineyard Pinot Noir
1998 $75.00 The medium to dark ruby-colored Mark Bradford Vineyard has loads
of blackberry and cassis in its aromatic profile. Medium-bodied and
concentrated, this wine has excellent depth to its juicy, blackberry-packed
personality. It is backward, tight, and has its vintage's characteristically
tough tannin, yet is an excellent wine, with outstanding density of
fruit. Projected Maturity: 2004-2009.
87
Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir 1999
$30.00 The medium to dark ruby-colored Yamhill Cuvee (this blend used
to be marketed under the name "Reserve") has demure dark fruit aromas.
Medium-bodied and satin-textured, it offers lush layers of red/black
cherries and candied raspberries. It is lively, tangy and full of
pleasure-giving fruit.
A
passion for Pinot Noir led Grace and Ken Evenstad to Oregon in 1989. Their
142 acre Domaine Serene estate atop the southernmost hill in the prestigious
Red Hills of Dundee is one of the most unique vineyard estates in the world.
Ranging in elevation from 520-800 feet, the seven vineyards of the Domaine
face east, south, and west, with glorious views of the Cascade and coastal
mouontain ranges. Diversity of clones, rootstocks, micro climates, slope
and elevation allow for the creation of distinct and complex wines.
In the summer
of 1999 a new 90 acre property, called Jerusalem Hill, was purchased to
provide additional diversity in soil type, elevation, and climate. Jerusalem
Hill is located in the eastern side of the Eola Hills, yet still in Yamhill
County with all the other estate vineyards. The property is solely planted
to Pinot Noir in various clone types.
Their meticulous
vineyard practices and insistence on extremely low yields allow maxiumum
expression of terroir in the concentrated fruit from each vineyard. Domaine
Serene makes only ultra premium, hand-made wine, with the expertise of
winemaker Tony Rynders. The Pinot Noir is fermented in small open top
fermenters and hand-punched down twice a day. Cooperage is selectively
sourced from several French forests. There is minimal intervention and
movement of the wine from beginning to end. The estate-grown Dijon clone
Chardonnay is fermented in French cooperage and aged sur lies.
Artists
rendering of Winery Hill
In September
2001, Domaine Serene completed a spectacular new five-level winemaking
facility atop the Red Hills of Dundee, Oregon. Outgrowing the old Carlton,
Oregon winery because of new Estate vineyard production, Domaine Serene's
new facility will enhance and further improve the production and quality
of the winery's exquisite Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The winery
utilizes a traditional gravity-flow method throughout the entire winemaking
process.
Domaine Serene believes that minimal intervention
and movement of the fruit from vineyard to bottle is crucial in maintaining
the highest quality wine. To that end, they utilize gravity to carry the
wine through the building's five levels and stages of production, ensuring
consistently superior wines.
Level 1: FRUIT ARRIVAL
Harvest crew brings ripe fruit into the building to begin meticulous hand-sorting
of the fruit on a conveyor belt. The fruit is destemmed, crushed, and
flows down to level 2.
Level 2: FERMENTING
The Pinot Noir fruit is fermented in small, open-top fermentors. When
fermentation is complete, the wine is gently pressed off the skins. After
a short time in settling tanks it flows down to level 3. The Chardonnay
goes to barrel level 4 for fermentation following pressing.
Level 3: THE CAVE
Some of the very best wine is barreled in the beautiful limestone cave.
The cave area is used for barrel tasting events and occasional entertaining.
Level 4: BARREL CELLARS AND BLENDING
For optimum barrel cellaring conditions, there are three separate barrel
rooms. One is for incoming Pinot Noir, one is for Pinot Noir from the
previous vintage, and one is for Chardonnay. All have separate temperature
and humidity capabilities. Pinot Noir at Domaine Serene is typically barrel-aged
14-18 months. Chardonnay is fermented and aged in the barrel for 10-15
months.
Level 5: BOTTLING, LABELING AND BOTTLE-AGING
State-of-the-art equipment assures proper protection of the wine at bottling.
After the wines are aged in bottle, for usually a year or more, labeling
and packaging take place and wines are ready for release
The Wines
Domaine
Serene's flagship wine is the Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir. Yamhill Cuvee
Pinot Noir is also produced in limited quantities based on fruit only
from Yamhill County. Estate single vineyard bottlings for national disttribution
are Mark Bradford Vineyard and Grace Vineyard Pinot Noirs and Cote Sud
Vineyard and Cote du Soleil Vineyard Dijon clone chardonnays.
Grace and Ken Evenstad own Domaine
Serene and for several years, Ken Wright was their winemaker. Now, Ken
has moved into a beautiful new facility and Domaine Serene has taken over
his former winery. The Evenstads have hired Tony Rynders as winemaker.
Tony has worked at Argyle and Hogue Cellars in the northwest, is a graduate
of UC Davis, and has also worked at wineries in California, Australia,
and Europe.
The Domaine
Serene wines have traditionally been big, intense, and complex, and Tony
seems to be continuing in that direction. He is planning to release several
single vineyard Pinot noirs this year (2001) and to expand production
to close to 6000 cases a year. Ken made about 2500 cases a year, and availability
was very limited.
This is the best guide, bar none, to Oregon's
wines. Insightful articles, interesting reviews, in depth interviews- you'll
find them all here. Worth every penny if you're interested in Oregon wine.
A
passion for Pinot Noir led Grace and Ken Evenstad to Oregon in 1989. Their
142 acre Domaine Serene estate atop the southernmost hill in the prestigious
Red Hills of Dundee is one of the most unique vineyard estates in the world.
Ranging in elevation from 520-800 feet, the seven vineyards of the Domaine
face east, south, and west, with glorious views of the Cascade and coastal
mouontain ranges. Diversity of clones, rootstocks, micro climates, slope
and elevation allow for the creation of distinct and complex wines.
