Evening Land 2010 Pinot Noir is one of those wines kept in the cellar to age and enjoy at it’s prime of life. Best between 2013 and 2019, I thought a 2016 experience of this wine would be ideal. But I’ll tell you right now, it wasn’t just ideal, it was perfection…
About the Wine: This wine comes from the Willamete Valley in Oregon — a region continuously increasing it’s reliability, and thus popularity, for New World fine wine. Seven Spring’s Vineyard, Evening Landing’s largest vineyard, has an ideal terroir for the winemakers to experiment with mixing old and new vines — and this comes through in the 2010 Pinot Noir.
This wine is 100% pinot noir grapes, 13.1% alcohol.
Flavor Profile: This is such a light, subtle wine, if doing a blind tasting, I would think that this amount of maturity could only come from France. The classic, silky texture with the smallest hint of minerality are reminiscent of a beautiful Burgundy. However, the wine does have, what I would call, and “openness” to it, that only a New World wine could bring. Evening landing has created a pinot noir that maintains hints of the classic flavor profile: raspberries, cherries, light floral notes all dance, but on the back of the pallet. And there’s an overlying essence of moisture (perhaps it was rainy that year in the Willamette Valley?), that gives it a lightness on the tongue, opening up the palate, and giving a drinkability uncommon in a red wine, even pinots.
Personally I would say the tannins and acid are both low on this wine, making it quite versatile in regards to food and wine pairings.
Food Pairing: Again, this wine is quite versatile when it comes to pairing with food. Because of it’s lightness, I would say it would best pair with rare grilled steak or salmon, as it would balance well with the fat content. To make sure those beautiful subtle flavors aren’t blanketed, be sure to accompany the proteins with a less-intense side dish, like a simple salad or a delicately seasoned rice.
More Info: To learn more about the winemakers and the vineyard, be sure to visit the Evening Land site. As this is an older wine, it will be hard to find. I purchased this wine from a local, independent distributor. Check out Cellar Tracker to find if there’s a distributor near you.
