The Holidays are here and Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  Madrona Wine will now be OPEN on Tuesdays from next week until New Years.  Our Thanksgiving feasts may be smaller this year, but the upside is that you don’t have to hide the good wine from the unappreciative guests.  Pick out a good bottle to celebrate with.Here’s a few Pinots to ponder.

Pinot Noir

We have a lot of Pinot Noirs to choose from.  Take your pick from Burgundy, the Willamette Valley or elsewhere.

2015 47 Anno Domini Sottovoce Pinot Nero  $16
The olfactory impact is elegant and complex, the Pinot Nero Sottovoce is the perfect combination of fruit sensations red (cherry, blackberry, currant) and those of maturation in wood with refined notes tobacco, coffee, cocoa, and vanilla.

2018 Guillaume, Pinot Noir  $18
ignoble Guillaume’s gorgeous, soil-driven 2017 Pinot Noir gleams a transparent garnet color from the bowl followed by aromas of earthy cranberries, geranium, rhubarb, and soft limestone minerals. Brisk acidity and savory tannins frame the wine’s crunchy core of red Pinot fruit, which transitions mid-palate to reveal fascinating suggestions of blood oranges, Earl Grey tea, and damp, calcareous earth. Fine tannins sneak in as the wine finishes crisp and crunchy, with layers of bright red berry and cherry fruit lifted by a persistent clay-limestone mineral undercurrent.

2018 Roots, “Klee” Pinot Noir  $19
In homage to one of winemaker/owner Chris Berg’s favorite artists, Klee is named for the famous Baus Haus artist Paul Klee. The 2018 is vibrant and layered; the hallmarks of Oregon Pinot are all here: dark/sour cherry, plum, cola, soil, delicate body, bright acid, fine tannins. Remarkably complex at a great price.

2017 Esmonin, Les Genevrieres Rouge  $25
Sumptuous aromas of red berries and cherry are supported by light notes of wildflower. On the palate, there are flavors of red fruit, spice and floral accents. The tannins and acidity provide a delightful structure..

2015 Maréchal Bourgogne, Cuvée Gravel  $33
A beautiful Cote de Or Pinot full of lovely rose aromas and raspberry and cherry flavors, smooth tannins and long finish. A great Burgundy value.

2016 Château de Marsannay, Marsannay  $36
I love the balance in the 2016 Marsannay, which has a solid bouquet of passion fruits, wild strawberries, violets, and leafy herbs. It’s fresh, medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, and has integrated acidity, all pointing to an outstanding Marsannay to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years. — Jeb Dunnuck.

2017 Lingua Franca, Anvi Pinot Noir  $37
Avni Pinot Noir reflects its Eola-Amity Hills fruit, born of volcanic soils on hillside vineyards and sourced primarily from neighbors in Hopewell. The wine is medium intense, complex with floral, mineral and red cherry, black plum fruit tones and a long round finish.

2016 Meyer-Näkel, Spätburgunder  $40
A beautiful Pinot Noir from an award-winning winemaker.  Light, mineral driven and elegant.

2016 Xavier Monnot, Maranges 1er Clos de la Fussiere  $40
A lovely bottle of 1er Cru red Burgundy from a monopole vineyard in the oft overlooked QPR village of Maranges. Lovely perfume of blue and black fruits, fresh cut flowers and candied violets leads to a mineral-inflected palate of ripe fruit, sweet spice, and fresh earth. Fine vibrancy gives lift to the complex palate and the firm tannins need only a little time in decanter (or 2-3 years in cellar) to smooth out.  Was $52, Now $40

2018 Patricia Green Cellars, Marine Sedimentary Pinot Noir  $42
Refined and multilayered, featuring raspberry and blueberry flavors that show poise, laced with black tea and crushed stone notes, building tension toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2029

2013 Mischief and Mayhem, Nuits Saint Georges  $45
A couple of Brits go to Burgundy and open a Winery.  Their Nuits St. Georges is well-structured, rich, with a good tannic grip and mineral and earth components. Ripe black fruit notes, especially blackcurrant and blackberry, along with hints of spice, dark chocolate, black tea, dark toffee and graphite. The finish is intense and firm, yet ripe, powerful and long. Was $90 now $45

2015 Bouchard, Gevery Chambertin  $58
Bouchard vinifies 10.4 hectares of village vines in Gevrey, and does the vineyard work for just over half of this total; fermented with 30% whole clusters. The wine exudes an intense, perfumed bouquet with fruit aromas and an animal touch. Nice structure. Was $68, now $58

2012 Domaine Faiveley, Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru “Les Porêts Saint-Georges”  $79
Aromas of black cherry, menthol and sweet oak, lifted by top notes of rose petal and violet. A step up in flavor and depth from the foregoing Nuits samples, showing lovely cut and lift to the perfumed flavors of sweet black cherry and menthol. At once chewy and refined, finishing with ripe tannins, attractive salinity and lingering perfume.