Domaine Serene
Yamhill Cuvée
Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley
Dayton, Oregon, USA
2007
13.8%
$26.99 -- Costco, Austin, TX
Color: Medium garnet
Nose: Flowers, cinnamon, smoke
Body: Medium
Front: Dry cherry
Middle: Smoky honeysuckle
Back: Minerals, soft tannin
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork
Delightfully low in alcohol, fascinating on the palate, and good with food: it doesn't get much better. Actually, judging from the prices on the Domaine Serene website and the reports of my older wine-drinking friends, it does get a lot better, with Serene's higher-level Pinots. But this is a well-made, delicious wine at a price that's pretty good for Pinot.
This wine is available by the glass at restaurants, so give it a shot in someplace you trust before you buy a bottle--its austerity and weirdness aren't going to please all folks who like Pinot!
