4NOV09 90+ Cellars “Lot 137 Reserve“ PINOT NOIR, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2023
4 and 6 bottle levels $23 (member price $20)
100% Pinot Noir 13.5% ABV
The wine business revolves around cash flow, especially for newer wineries. They need a positive flow of money to cover their expenses and hopefully make a profit. Mother Nature can be fickle. The same acreage can produce different amounts of fruit every year, so in a good year, a winery can produce more wine than expected. Enter 90+ Cellars. They purchase excess wine from producers around the world, with NDA’s, so they can’t reveal the names of the wineries. The wineries are happy because they received some cash and didn’t have to worry about moving extra juice. 90+ Cellars is happy because they purchased wine for a lower cost than if they had made it themselves. I tasted through their reds, and this Willamette Pinot was the pick of the litter. Red raspberry, strawberry, sassafras, violet. My guess is that it was aged in French oak (mostly neutral). GOBBLE GOBBLE
Food Pairing Suggestions:
This juicy wine is a must‐have holiday accessory! It’s a crowd‐pleasing red that’s guaranteed to be the life of the party whether or note you serve it with pork sliders and mushrooms stuffed with sausage and blue cheese. This versatile red effortlessly goes from easy appetizer quaff to the star of the meal served with salmon smothered in a creamy truffle sauce over brown rice pilaf or Moroccan-spiced grilled lamb chops. An after dinner treat of Point Reyes Blue, San Andreas or Humboldt Fog would accentuate the fruit flavors.