Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Willow Vineyard 2005 Pinot Noir  (Leelanau Peninsula)

Willow Vineyard

2005 Pinot Noir
(Leelanau Peninsula)



For decades, Burgundy producers have told Pinot Noir lovers not to judge by color. Flavor and color are not related, they've said. Yet the onset of successful Pinot Noirs from California's Russian River Valley or Sonoma Coast has brought the consumer's eye back into the picture. Forget that and recall what the Burgundians have been promoting. Willow's 2005 Pinot Noir may be light in color but its flavor and acid balance match it perfectly with grilled or poached salmon.

Produced from two Dijon clones of Pinot Noir (113 and 115) and the Wadenswil clone, the wine is marked by bright cherry aromas and flavors, peaked with attractive spice notes from aging in Francois Frères and Demptos cooperage, ranging in age from two to seven years old.

Willow, a small producer on Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, got its wine start through the cooperation and encouragement of neighbor Larry Mawby, owner/winemaker of the highly-touted L. Mawby sparkling wines.

Reviewed November 21, 2006 by Eleanor & Ray Heald.




Other reviewed wines from Willow Vineyard

 

The Wine

Winery: Willow Vineyard
Vintage: 2005
Wine: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Leelanau Peninsula
Grape: Pinot Noir
Price: 750ml $18.00

Review Date: 11/21/2006

The Reviewer

Eleanor & Ray Heald

The Healds have been writing about wine since 1978 and have focused on appellation significance in many of their world beat writings. They value recognizing site personality (terroir) within an appellation's wines. They praise balance and elegance in wines styled to pair well with food and eschew over-extraction, high alcohol and heavy-handed oak. “Delicious” is their favorite descriptor for a great, well-made wine.