Got very excited first finding Solena's 2008 Grand Cuvee, and it takes a lot to excite a Burgundy freak with a U.S. Pinot. Happens most often for me in Oregon. Maybe because the vintages there are as dicey as they are in the Cote d'Or. Sure enough, the 2009 disappointed. Luckily I skipped it. Good thinking! Just about out of the '08s, and along comes this gorgeous 2010. Lots of fruit with touches of licorice and cinnamon. Actually, I think the secret ingredient is that this young winery has quite a heritage with a French accent in the family. He's from Bordeaux, she's from Napa, but the fruit's from Willamette. Remember their wine love story? For their wedding gift in 2000 Laurent Montalieu, who grew up in the Medoc and Guadeloupe, and Danielle Andrus, nee Pine Ridge, bought an 80- acre estate in Willamette as their wedding gift to each other. They set up their bridal registry at top vineyard nurseries and listed six clones of Pinot Noir vines as wedding gifts. It's paying off big now. If you liked the '08, you're gonna love the 2010.
91 points - Bob Sprentall, B-21 Proprietor | 
