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2003 O’Reilly’s Pinot Noir

2003 O’Reilly’s Pinot Noir Wine Details
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Description: Each year when asked which is my favorite wine of the vintage, I unhesitatingly blurt out that the O’Reilly’s Pinot Noir wins hands down, simply because it’s almost impossible to find a Pinot Noir from anywhere with this much character at this price. The fruit is farmed identically to the Owen Roe single vineyard offerings, and many blocks end up in the O’Reilly’s blend simply because they do not fit in the style of Owen Roe. As a result, the O’Reilly’s Pinot Noir is an incredible bargain if it was twice the price. The 2003 vintage was the warmest in modern Oregon winemaking history. We had plenty of late spring heat, and the unusually warm summer ripened the fruit a full 4 weeks early. The 2003 O’Reilly’s is dark and rich with its’ characteristic fragrance.

Varietal Definition
Pinot Noir:
The name is derived from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. By volume most Pinot Noir in America is grown in California with Oregon coming in second. Other regions are Washington State and New York.During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Pinot Noir became considerably more popular amongst consumers in the United States, possibly because of the movie Sideways. Being lighter in style, it has benefited from a trend toward more restrained, less alcoholic wines. It is the delicate, subtle, complex and elegant nature of this wine that encourages growers and winemakers to cultivate this difficult grape. Robert Parker has described Pinot Noir: "When it's great, Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world."


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