2017 Domaine Danielle Laurent is a single estate Pinot Noir from Soléna Winery in Willamette Valley of Oregon. This bottle quite naturally ended up going home with us after we tasted the 2017 Pinot Noir flight on our wine swinging visit to Soléna. We’ll tell you why in a bit.
Soléna Winery was started by the husband and wife team of Laurent Montalieu and Danielle Andrus Montalieu 20 years ago to craft single-vineyard wines and going strong ever since. Laurent is involved in the Oregon wine industry for over 30 years and, there’s a good chance you tasted wines he helped to produce.
2017 Soléna Pinot Noir Domaine Danielle Laurent
In the Bottle
This Pinot Noir takes its name after the Domaine Laurent Danielle vineyard because that’s where the grapes came from. The vineyard is located in Yamhill-Carlton AVA (Agricultural Viticultural Area) of Willamette Valley, and we have a soft spot for it.
We love Pinots from all six Willamette Valley AVAs for its different characters. But if we had to pick just one for the rest of our lives, we likely we’ve chosen Yamhill-Carlton. It’s known for its warmer microclimate and riper fruit. In a cooler growing season, it definitely gives this area an edge.
In a glass
True to its Oregon roots, Danielle Laurent Pinot Noir translucent cherry color.
Aromas
It took five minutes or so for the wine to open up and release the aromas of dry rose, ripe cherry and strawberry, and a touch of smoke.
Flavors
Dark cherry, very ripe strawberry, cherry pit, earthy and toasty notes created a sophisticated and eluding sensory experience. We wanted to take another sip, again and again, to figure it out.
Pairing
We went for the classic pairing of duck in a cherry sauce. It was fantastic! The key was the cherry sauce that we made from scratch. This pairing helped us realized why not all cherry sauces created equal at the restaurant, and the key is balancing it with acidity. It helps the sauce and helps the wine.
Finish
2017 Domaine Danielle Laurent Pinot Noir is an excellent example of Yamhill-Carlton AVA of Willamette Valley. We tasted it side by side with the other three 2017 single estate Pinots by Soléna. It’s sensible acidity, soft tannins and dark berry aftertaste won us over and reaffirmed our “bias” towards Yamhill-Carlton.
What are your favorite AVAs and wineries? Or DOCs if you’re in Europe?
We look forward to hearing about your wine swinging adventures.