Soter Vineyards, Yamhill-Carlton District (Willamette Valley, Oregon) Pinot Noir 2008

 Certainly among the most accomplished winemakers in the United States, Tony Soter has turned from making amazing Cabernet-based wines in Napa to making equally amazing sparkling wines and Pinots in his native Oregon.  The sparklers are strikingly stylish and precise in aroma, texture and flavor, and the same holds true for the Pinots, especially this one from the Soter-owned Mineral Springs Ranch.  It is fresher and more delicate than the overwhelming majority of Pinots made in Oregon, many of which have turned chunky in recent years and consequently are not as easy to distinguish from their California cousins as one would suspect from all the talk of comparative coolness in Oregon.  Be that as it may, this Pinot is a model of restraint, balance and integration, yet it offers a lot of aroma and flavor and is very expressive rather than austere.  Certain to develop beautifully thanks to its fresh acidity and structural symmetry, this is delicious now but also a great bet for the future.