For the Trade: Awards and Reviews
Arsheen Pinot Gris
2007
89 pts.— Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
"Light silver. Fresh and racy, displaying clean lemon and grapefruit aromas along with white pepper and fresh herbs. Light and precise, offering mouthwatering citrus and green apple flavors, with bracing minerality adding focus. Precise and very easy to drink" — Josh Raynolds
Autees Pinot Blanc
2007
89 pts.— Wine Enthusiast
"Pinot Blanc may be the most underated grape in Oregon; it straddles the line between Pinot Gris and Chardonnay - at least the good ones do. This is a good one. It's full, loaded with pear-flavored fruit ripe and round yet retaining its acids and focus. Spicy highlights creep into the finish, and there are even some noticeable tannins, a bit unusual in a white wine, that add definition to the expansive finish." — PG
Roseena Rosé
2008
Gold Medal— International Green Wine Competition
Excellent— Northwest Wine Press
McMinnville is perhaps the least-understood AVA in the northern Willamette Valley because it shares a name with a city that is not within the appellation. But Moe Momtazi understands the hilly region well and is a major grower with more than 200 acres of vines. This rosé is superb from first whiff through the elegant finish. It opens with aromas of rhubarb, grapefruit and Rainier cherries, followed by flavors of cherries and cranberries. Bright acidity and moderate alcohol make this a great summer sipper.
2007
89 pts. — Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
"Light pink. Red currant, strawberry and orange on the nose, with a suave floral quality adding complexity. Spicy red fruit flavors turn spicier with air, picking up dusty minerals and dried floral character. Fresh, clean and energetic, with very good finishing clarity and lift." — Josh Raynolds
2006
EXCELLENT! — Wine Press Northwest
Jamsheed Pinot Noir
2009
91 pts.- Wine Spectator
“Tight and juicy, yet gentle, with a savory edge to the cherry, mineral and spice flavors, lingering effortlessly against refunded tannins.”
***Online Release Only***
2008
90 pts.— Wine Advocate
“A jazzy style, bright and lively, with red cherry, blackberry and a hint of mint in the flavor mix, all of it lingering on the open-textured finish. Drink now through 2016. 4,000 cases made.”
90 pts.— Wine Spectator
“Supple, friendly, and easygoing on the palate, it has excellent depth of flavor, 1-2 years of aging potential, and a lengthy finish with no hard edges.”
2007
90 pts— Wine Spectator
"Polished and lively, with pretty currant, plum and floral aromas and flavors on a light, racy frame, finishing with mouthwatering acidity and plenty of fruit. Drink now through 2012. 4,000 cases made." — H.S.
90 pts.— Wine Spectator
"It's not very often that you find excellent Pinot Noir for $25 or less, but these three Oregon examples (two of them at 90 points) are worth the search. All three are made in reasonable quantities, so you should be able to track them down." MAYSARA Jamsheed Pinot. McMinnville (90, $25) Light, racy; currant, plum, flowers. — Bruce Sanderson
2006
90 pts.— Wine Spectator
"Light and fragrant, with pretty floral overtones to the cherry and roasted meat flavors, lingering softly on the seamless finish. Dink now through 2014." — HS
Estate Cuvée Pinot Noir
2009
94 pts.— Wine Spectator
"Supple, sumptuous and distinctive for its range of cherry, boysenberry, floral and dark chocolate flavors dancing suavely throughout the long extensive finish. The tannings are submerged and this has miles to go! Drink now through 2019."
92 pts.— Wine & Spirits
"Figgy in aroma, with scents of lavender and sundried strawberries, this stylish wine is much fresher and persistent in its red fruit flavors. Vinous and dark-toned, there's a brisk, windswept quality to the tannins hinting at the Van Duzer Corridor breezes that buffet Momtazi, Maysara's estate vineyard."
91 pts.— Wine Advocate
"The 2009 Pinot Noir Estate Cuvee was aged for 12 months in 30% new French oak. It, too, offers up herbal overtones which seem to be a characteristic of this vineyard. Here it is merely a background note accompanied by Asian spices, incense, and assorted black fruits. In the glass it displays unusual richness and concentration for the vintage as well as a fruit-filled, lengthy finish. It has the stuffing to evolve for 1-2 years and will provide optimum drinking through 2019." — HS
2008
91 pts.— Wine Spectator
"Bright and refined, offering a juicy mouthful of mineral-accented currant and blackberry flavors, remaining silky and lively through the long, harmonious finish. Drink now through 2016. 1,000 cases made." — HS
91pts.— Wine Advocate
"It surrenders a lovely nose of cedar, floral aromas, exotic spices, mineral/earth notes, and assorted black fruits."
2007
90 pts.— Wine Spectator
"Light and fragrant, yet this fills the mouth with lovely, focused raspberry, cherry and floral flavors, lingering unhindered by tannins on the refined finish. Drink now through 2012." — H.S.
2004
90 pts.— Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
"Ruby-red. Ripe blackberry and plum aromas, with a hint of crystallized violet. Sweet dark berry liqueur flavors are brightened by suggestions of graphite and white pepper; this became livelier and sappier with air. Finishes with very light tannins and mineral accents." — Josh Raynolds
Asha Pinot Noir
2009
90-92 pts.- Wine Advocate
"A barrel sample of the 2009 Pinot Noir Asha exhibits a racier style with ample tasty fruit and good balance but absent the depth and concentration of the 2008. This wine was scheduled to be bottled one week after I tasted it, so it could well be in the market by the time of publication. I also tasted several 2010 barrel samples which look very promising."
2008
93 pts.- Wine Advocate
"The late released 2008 Pinot Noir Asha was aged for 22 months in 40% new French oak. It sports an alluring bouquet of exotic spices, violets, sandalwood, black cherry, and black raspberry scents. In the glass it reveals layered, savory fruit, good power in combination with elegance, and a lengthy fruit-filled finish. It will evolve for 3-4 years and drink well through 2023."
2007
93 pts.- Wine and Spirits Magazine
"This elegant, youthful wine, a first release for Maysara, leads with a faint scent of violets and a hint of bergamot. The black cherry and plum flavors are still primary a dark, brambly McMinnville wine with marvelous tension and drive. That energy makes it a delight to drink, but will also reward the patient." — PC
Delara Pinot Noir
2007
91pts.– Wine Advocate
“It is the most expressive of this quartet aromatically with an enticing bouquet of pain grille, earth notes, cinnamon, incense, wild cherry and raspberry. Medium-bodied, intense, well-balanced, and velvety textured, this lengthy effort will evolve for 1-2 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2011 to 2019.”
90 pts.– Wine Spectator
“Tight, focused and juicy, with cherry and spice flavors playing against a layer of grippy tannins. Finishes with finesse. Needs time. Best after 2012. 300 cases made.” –HS
2006
90 pts.— Wine Advocate
"Barrel selections of which 16 were chosen with 56% of the oak being new. Dark Ruby colored, the wine has enticing nose of black cherry, black raspberry, pain grille, mineral and spice box. This leads to a layered wine with plump savory fruit, some structure, good concentration, and excellent length. Give it 3-4 years to evolve and drink it from 2012-2021." — Dr. Jay Miller
2005
90 pts.— Wine Enthusiast
"The wine is a block selection, and it is still rather tightly wound, despite the extra time in bottle. The fruit is dark and laden with exotic spices, and as you dive into the flavors you find smoke, licorice, earth and rock. This is a wine that would be quite interesting to age, but if you drink it now, be sure to spend time with it, as it runs through its delightful changes. Decanting is highly ressomended." — PG
2004
90 pts.— Wine Spectator
"Lithe and distinctive for its sassafras and espresso nuances around a lithe core of blackberry and plum flavors, lingering against crisp tannins. Best from 2008 through 2012. 470 cases made." –HS
Mitra Pinot Noir
2006
92 pts.— Wine Advocate
"Consists of the six best barrels in the winery, 50% of which were new. Dark ruby in color, the wine offers darker fruits aromatically on the palate. It delivers more richness and structure and will evolve for at least 3-4 years. It should provide pleasure through 2021." — Dr. Jay Miller
90 pts.— Wine Spectator
"Light in texture, with spicy, tobacco-accented cherry flavors on a racy frame, lingering on the ripe finish. Drink now through 2013." 150 cases made. — HS
2005
92 pts.— Wine Enthusiast
"It is rare to find a high-end domestic Pinot Noir so restrained, so elegant. Lightly layered with tangy rasperry, mineral and herb, this wine proves that supple, graceful, complex, delicious Pinots can be made in Oregon. So often they are sacrifieced on the alter of overripeness and oak. Here are authentic flavors of grape and soil, biodynamically farmed and lovingly crafted into a complete and fascinating wine that with attention, gives the drinker more." — PG
90 pts.— Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
"Dark red. Fresh redcurrant and cherry on the nose, with dried rose and baking spices building in the glass. Spiced cherry and plum flavors offer very good depth and spicy lift, gaining a tangy blood orange quality on the back end. Smooth, sappy and pure, with gentle tannins adding grip to the finish. Pretty sexy stuff.." — Josh Raynolds
Three Degrees Pinot Noir
2009
91 pts.-Wine & Spirits Magazine Wine
"This earthy wine has the scent of new potatoes and freshly turned earth. Its flavors are lean and fresh—earthy black cherry and warm brown spices—with a gentle foresty texture that gains generosity with air. Give it a few months to come together before serving with a mushroom fricassee."
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