Review: 2006 Erath Pinot Noir Prince Hill and Leland
Erath produces a surfeit of wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, primarily pinot noirs. We were fortunate enough to try two of the winery’s single-vineyard pinot bottlings (of which there are at least a dozen in total), both from 2006.
2006 Erath Prince Hill Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is a silky wine, rich with earth and ripe with tart fruit. It’s a little less evolved than perhaps it should be, but a curious coffee character on the finish make it difficult to put down. A- / $45
2006 Erath Leland Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is much racier, with lots of berry and some rosemary on the nose, and more fruit on the body. Easier to drink now, it’s got a little too much earth on the finish interfering with an otherwise very fruit-forward experience, but I can live with it. Easily, as it turns out. A- / $50