2006 Iris Vineyards Pinot Noir

Hanging out on a Sunday night, with Zelda cooking a nice chicken bouillabaisse compliments of the Barefoot Contessa, what better than a nice pinot noir to go along with it...and what better than to have our friend Charnel pop in and stay for dinner, as well as my "Asian Brother from Another Mother" Arounkone pop in for a surprise visit. Sunday nights seem to be a staple for Zelda making a great dinner...as well as for friends to stop by to induldge in a nice dinner and vino with us. Life is good "on the bistro!" So when guests come over, what can we do other than pop and Iris to please the masses? What can we say about this wine other than the fact that we love it, and our guests love it? Sure, you are all getting bored seeing me write about this wine over and over again, but it is officially our "house pinot" and "bistro wine." As I have said before, this is not your typical Oregon pinot. Most Oregon pinot that we drink, is very subdued, and very Burgundy-esq. As most of you know, Oregon pinot noir's are not usually fruit forward like the Santa Rita Hills styled pinot noir that we truly enjoy, but this is the Oregon exception. Pamela Frye and Richard Boyles must not be taking the classic Oregon approach to crafting this pinot, as it is very fruit forward. If tasting blind, I would have to guess that this is a wine from the Central Coast in California, but I would be way wrong. On the nose, tons of cherries that you can smell from several feet away. This wine is a cherry monster, and I love it! Hints of earth and blueberry round out the nose. Onto the palate, more and more cherry gush from the glass...dark cherry, black cherry, bing cherry, even a hint of maraschino cherry...or, maybe not maraschino, but you get the idea. Subtle hints of pepper and spice round out the palate, with a very nice, very smooth finish. As I have said previously, for the $20 you would spend on Benton Lane or Argyle's normal bottlings, your money is much better spent here on the Iris. It is light, and very refreshing, and is a sure crowd pleaser. We've already burned through a case of this great juice, and I can see burning through several more cases before years end. So if you are out and about in Princeton, stop at CoolVines and pick up a bottle. If you'r enot near Princeton, try to pick it up somewhere else, then give it a try, and let me know what you think. 90 points, drink now or cellar! This wine should drink well for another 3-5 years. Cheers!