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We’re always happy to try anything that Craig Camp sends our way from Cornerstone Cellars in Napa, California. Whether they bear the Cornerstone or Stepping Stone label, the wines maintain a uniformly high level of quality, often times exceptionally so. Camp has long had a passion for Pinot Noir, and is now collaborating with Tony Rynders, who spent ten years as winemaker at Oregon’s celebrated Domaine Serene winery, to produce a Willamette Valley bottling for Cornerstone. Craig sent us a bottle to taste recently; we gave it some time to rest after receiving it, and then opened and enjoyed it with our good friends Anne Keller and Brian Klumpp. Here are my impressions.

2008 Cornerstone Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 13.9% alc., SRP $45: Clean, medium dark color; medium bodied and then some, with good intensity and noticeable, but not excessive oak. Pretty black cherry and red plum flavors and aromas, anchored with a subtle earthy base and showing a touch of chocolaty character in both flavor and texture. Nicely balanced, this seems to reflect both the house style and the appellation to good effect. I don’t think that it has the stuffing to go a long time in the cellar, and considering how well it’s drinking now, it doesn’t need to, so I wouldn’t wait more than a few years on it. Nice stuff this, and it should be both interesting and fun to follow the development of Cornerstone Oregon. 75% Pommard clone, 25% 115 clone, 50% Eola Hills AVA, 50% Yamhill Carlton AVA, 15 months in 60 gallon French oak barrels, 50% new, 50% 1 year old, 50 cases produced. Find this wine

Reporting from Day-twah,

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