05.08.08 /2004 Walnut City WineWorks Reserve Pinot Noir

My father really likes this wine, and brought four bottles to my house last summer when he came to visit to see Cooper and the fam. At the time, I did not really like this wine. Again, there are so many great Oregon Pinots at $25 that I do not need to waste my time drinking this one.

We had some folks over for dinner last Friday and I needed a decent wine to braise some short ribs to make short rib and beef burgers. I saw the Walnut Creek and thought it doesn't suck. I took a swig off the bottle and it was decent. A lot more balance and structure than the last time I drank it.

I used most of the bottle for the braise, but took a few more pulls from the bottle. Note: a very classy way to drink wine if you do not want to dirty a glass. I remember when I was in Prague in the summer 1996, we bought some bread, cheese, a cheap bottle of burgundy, pushed the cork in and drank it on the bridge, straight from the bottle. Or in Napa the summer of '95 on the lake with a bottle of Don Quixote, taking pulls. But I digress.

This wine is better than I originally thought, but I still wouldn't buy it, but I would drink it if I liked the person who was serving it to me. That is the rating!