Wow what a pinot, the cowhouse has a light nose of blackberry and chocolate with a touch of tobacco; The taste is crisp, complex and immediate feedback of dryness and fruit; The finish lasts and is clean and another fruit all together; This is my top Oregon pinot for 2008 so far, 97 out of 100 for me

I’ll be judging all the others by this one for a while.

From the wine maker

2005 Cowhouse Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills AVA TASTING NOTES Named after Argyle’s longtime Vineyard Manager, Allen HOLSTEIN. (He of course believes his title should be “Vineyard Stylist”). The Cowhouse is a selection from some of the more interesting barrels of Argyle farmed Dundee Hills AVA Pinot noir. This vintage its all from Allen’s own high elevation vineyard. This wine has all four hooves on the ground, i.e. great balance. The aroma is leap-out the glass black cherry, chocolate, vanilla crème and cedar plank spice. The flavor is bright, black cherry bordered by that cedar spice and a nice clean earth quality. While the impression is of sweet, sensuous fruit, the “balance” kicks in with nice firm tannins and powerful structure. It all lasts and lasts on a boat load of flavor sailing into one’s memory. PRODUCTION NOTES The 2005 vintage was especially challenging. September AND October were significantly cooler and less sunny than normal. Cold fronts from the North Pacific followed one after the other. Good news—bad news: cool wet weather doesn’t favor mold growth, cool wet weather makes picking decisions and cellar work much more difficult. The rate of ripening was slowed to a snails pace. In the end, dark color was developed in the skins of the grape while rich, late harvest juicy texture was infused into the fruit. This is the sort of vintage Argyle thrives on. The wine is the result of our vineyard and winemaking ability to “stay the distance”. STATS 104 cases produced 14.0 % alcohol by volume Bottled: March 2007 Wine Maker: Rollin Soles