***I received this wine as a sample***

For as wonderful of a day as last Tuesday was, last Wednesday was equally as difficult—not bad, just difficult.  My latest major project was due Thursday, and everything that could possibly go wrong at the last minute did.  Unfortunately, some of the things that went wrong were repeat problems from my previous project, but there was nothing I could have done to avoid them.  The problems were piling up in such a way that one of my colleagues sent around an “Allison’s Law” email and #3 on the list was that something out of the ordinary would happen to complicate my projects.  It would have been very funny if it hadn’t been about me. By the time I left the office late Wednesday night, I was frustrated and a little concerned about how the final product.  Regardless, I was definitely ready for dinner and a nice glass of wine.

The 2007 Willamette Valley Vineyards Elton Vineyard Pinot Noir (vineyard, snooth) was a very clear, pale ruby with the slightest hint of garnet on the rim.  On the nose, there were berries—cherry, raspberry, strawberry—cocoa dust, rose petals, thyme, and a touch of earth.  In the mouth, there were red and black cherries, tea leaves, violets, and roses, along with a touch of smoke, ginger, and the red coating of a candy apple.  The wine had nice tannins and a medium body.

Is this worth a glass after work? Definitely!  If you see this wine in the store, grab it; you won’t be disappointed. At $45, this wine is a little on the pricey side for opening after work, but I promise that it’s well worth it.  Plus, the 2007 Pinot Noir has some nice aging potential, so if you prefer to cellar the wine for a couple of years, it should age nicely.  I drank the Pinot Noir with pistachios, which was a beautiful combination, as well as with dinner—a chicken tortilla casserole from Cooking for Two: 2009,The Year’s Best Recipes Cut Down to Size.  The pairing with the casserole was very nice.  After dinner, I sank into a second glass of wine as I checked my work Blackberry and watched a little trashy tv before calling it a night.  The 2007 Willamette Valley Vineyards Elton Vineyard Pinot Noir was exactly what I needed after a frustrating day at work.

Overall: 3.5 Corks