Salem Wine Co. Pinot Noir

Last weekend, I opened a bottle of not-so-great Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, so I've been on a redemptive search for a good, satisfying bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir this week. I ordered a bottle of Salem Wine Co.'s Pinot Noir along with several others from Sotheby's Wine a few days ago, and they were delivered in just 2 days (thanks for the rec, Albert!). I didn't realize that Sotheby's offers such a variety of affordable options in the $20-30 range, mostly French and Italian wines. (They also have excellent, high-quality California wines, but unfortunately, the majority are out of my price range).

The Salem Wine Company label is a line up of Oregon wines crafted by Raj Parr and Sashi Moorman. Raj Parr is a well-known James Beard award-winning sommelier and winemaker, who I also remember from the 'Somm 3' documentary. He and his business partner Moorman run the famous Domaine de la Côte in Lompoc as well as Sandhi Wines in Santa Rita Hills and Evening Land Vineyards in Oregon. This bottle of Pinot Noir is made from sustainable grapes sourced from Evening Land's Seven Springs Estate Vineyard and was aged in neutral French oak for 15 months.

My tasting notes on the 2017 Salem Wine Co. Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills ($25):

• See & Swirl: The wine has a brilliant ruby color. It also shows some thin legs. It's 13% abv.

• Sniff: It has fresh red fruits (strawberry, raspberry, and cherry) on the nose with notes of earth and minerals. Air brings out some floral (rose) aromas as well.

• Sip & Savor: The wine has tart cherry and strawberry flavors with bright acidity. It has a medium body and silky tannins with minerals that follow the fruit-forward flavors. It has a medium-finish with subtle notes of mint that tingle followed by round, soft tannins that linger on the back-palate. The minerals become more pronounced once the wine has had time to breathe. It's a very well-balanced wine - delicious, smooth, and easy to drink. A great Pinot Noir for $25 - I will definitely buy this one again.