Stoller Vineyards Pinot Noir Rose (2008)

Like many Oregon wineries, Stoller Vineyards has a special place for my beautiful Angel and me.  Stoller is a 373 acre vineyard located on the southern slopes of the Dundee Hills.  The area, known as "Corton Hill," was originally a turkey farm.  (This is the reason for the turkey on the label and the cap.)  The land was purchased by the Stoller family in 1943 and the rest, as they say is history.

Stoller Vineyards was the second stop on our two day tour of wineries and vineyards in the Willamette Valley or Oregon.  While we sat at a table in the tasting room, we tried a rose wine produced by Stoller.  We were both amazed at how good this wine was and, when we left, we took a bottle of the wine for us to enjoy at a later date.  Fast forward more than two years and we decided to open this bottle for our Fourth of July celebration.  

The Rose is produced from Pinot Noir grapes grown on the vineyard's Dundee Hills property.  Stoller uses grapes from the JV or "Junior Vines." 

The wine pours a light reddish color.  Despite my best efforts, I could not get a picture that does justice for this great wine.  The winemaker describes this wine as being full of strawberries, a description that I think is right on target.  Even after three years, the wine still has a bouquet that is very fruit forward and the fruit is strawberries.  As for the taste, the Stoller Pinot Noir Rose features those strawberries, along with some pears.  Both the pears and the strawberries are featured in all aspects of the wine's taste, from the front to the finish.

A Pinot Noir Rose, or any rose wine for that matter, can be paired antipasti or salads that feature citrus fruits or tomatoes.  The rose can also be paired with shellfish, such as oysters and clams, as well as fish and other seafood such as lobster. The wine can also be paired with poultry, like chicken and maybe even turkey.  

Clare and I picked up a bottle of this wine from Stoller's tasting room for $20.00.  More recent vintages of this wine are most likely available online at the vineyard's website.

ENJOY!