So little time…so many good Pinot Noirs.
Today’s find is Quailhurst Pinot Noir Vineyard Estate Oregon 2003 Single Estate. 
Before today: Never heard of it. Today: Still don’t know that much. Googling Quailhurst is not exactly like Googling Kendall Jackson.
However, this rich, elegant wine had me from hello, as in, from the first sniff. I loved the delicate, red-fruit fragrance; the ripe berries and hint of spice; the soft tannins; the agreeable personality that let it partner flank steak (marinated in coffee and black pepper) without a mis-step, and allowed me to sit back and smack my lips without the the self-conscious “I taste leather and earth” routine.
According to the Web site, Quailhurst is also a respected stable of dressage horses; the Nassau Pinot is named after one such fancy-pants horse; and the wine won a gold medal at the N.W. Wine Summit (largest competition in the Pacific Northwest) and a silver medal at the Oregon State Fair Professional Wine Competition. I’m not sure what trophies ol’ Nassau himself has won.
On the Internet, the wine costs about $45. However, I found it at Costco last week for $18.99. A friend of mine in the wine business says wineries sometimes “dump” things they don’t want any more at Costco. I intent to find out from my sources at Costco if this is true.
In the meantime, I’m heading back to the dump.
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