®Ratings of Our 2006 VintageSummary 2006 Et Fille Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir: 92 (IWR), 91 (WS), Recommended (NWP) 2006 Et Fille Elton Vineyard Pinot Noir: 92 (IWR), 90 (WS), 2009 Portland Indie Wine Festival Selection 2006 Et Fille Kalita Vineyard Pinot Noir: 92 (IWR), 90 (WS), Highly Recommended (NWP), First Team Oregon Pinot Noir (PF) 2006 Et Fille Palmer Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir: 90 (WS), Recommended (NWP) 2006 Et Fille Willamette Valley Pinot Noir: 88 (WS), Highly Recommended (NWP) WS (Wine Spectator), IWR (International Wine Review), NWP (NorthWest Palate), PF (Pinot File) Wine Spectator - 91.....2006 Et Fille Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir "Firm in texture, weaving carpaccio and savory spice flavors through the cherry and raspberry fruit, coming together on the harmonious finish. Has style and power without excess weight. Best from 2010 through 2016." 90.....2006 Et Fille Kalita Vineyard Pinot Noir "Firm in texture, with enough flesh to balance the fine-grained tannins. Offers cherry and mocha flavors that linger on the expressive finish. Best from 2009 through 2014." 90.....2006 Et Fille Palmer Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir "Smooth, open-textured and appealing for its juicy cherry and spice flavors, weaving in earthy, spicy, slightly burnt notes that make the finish interesting. Drink now through 2013." 90.....2006 Et Fille Elton Vineyard Pinot Noir "Smooth and generous. A plump mouthful of ripe currant and plum fruit, picking up caramel and spice notes as the finish lingers warmly without getting weighty. Drink now through 2014." 88.....2006 Et Fille Willamette Valley Pinot Noir "Firm in texture, with a bit more spicy oak character than most, but plenty of black cherry and currant fruit to back it up. Best from 2009 through 2013." --- NorthWest Palate - Best Pinot Noir Tasted in 2008: Highly Recommended - 2006 Et Fille Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley—"Rich aromas of dark red fruits with noticeable nuances of roasted meat, smoky oak, and graham crackers—delectable smells! In the mouth the wine offers a well-balanced juxtaposition of fruit and spice. On the one hand there is a sumptuous black cherry core with accents of cola and chocolate, and on the other hand there are tastes of cinnamon, earth, and sage. Though the wine seems soft, there are good backing tannins and sufficient acidity to meld everything into a harmonious whole. The supple finish lingers with lots of black cherry fruit. Serve with a veal chop and onion confit." Highly Recommended - 2006 Et Fille Pinot Noir, Kalita Vineyard, Yamhill-Carlton District—"Cherry fruit and graham spice aromas are clean and appealing. Stout and full black cherry flavors are supple and long on the palate, while good acidity adds vibrancy. A goodly amount of interesting graham and barrel toast lends a spicy character that helps restrain the rich fruit. Drink now with braised rabbit." Recommended - 2006 Et Fille Pinot Noir, Palmer Creek Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills—"Complex aromas of raspberry fruit with anise and barrel char rise easily from the glass. Juicy and sweet black cherry flavors are youthfully lush, yet accented by more savory tones of toast and spice. Balanced with good acidity and barely noticeable tannins. The finish is especially long, clean, and fruity. Drink with mustard-glazed grilledpork tenderloin." Recommended - 2006 Et Fille Pinot Noir, Maresh Vineyard, Dundee Hills—"Scents of roasted meat and cedar spice swirl around notes of crushed red fruit. Clean and soft on the tongue, with rich flavors of cherries, pie spices, vanilla, and cola. Light-bodied overall, but with good force of flavor (though there is noticeable barrel influence), this well-balanced Pinot would pair nicely with a rustic duck liver paté." --- PinotFile First Team, 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir All-Americans: 2006 Et Fille Kalita Vineyard Pinot Noir --- Cellar Wise (Nov. 23, 2008) - Featured Producer – A rising star on the Oregon wine scene. Et Fille Wines – www.etfillewines.com (503) 449-5030 I had tasted, on two occasions, an Et Fille Pinot Noir and was impressed each time. When a trip through the Willamette Valley allowed for a visit I jumped at the chance. The winery is housed in a shared facility with several other producers, so no big presence to impress nor add to the bottom line. The owner/winemaker Howard Mozeico was in the back & had old R & B (Sam and Dave) playing, I felt more like I was in a friend’s living room than a winery, if the friend decorated with barrels. But the real stars were the wines. He achieves a house style for sure, yet has a deft enough hand to let the unique character of each vineyard he makes and bottles wine from to shine through in a most flattering way. There’s a straight Willamette Valley Pinot Noir in small quantities, and it sells for about $25 when it’s in stock. They offer 4 single vineyard Pinots (actually the WV is a single-site as well I believe, though not labeled as such) ranging in price from a little under to a little over $40. The ’06 Kalita Vineyard Pinot is at the lower end price-wise, and is a lovely fruit-forward wine that’s a real charmer while likely being their most modern wine. At about the same money is the bright, expressive, and classy ’06 Palmer Creek Vineyard Pinot. Next up the ladder is the ’06 Maresh Vineyard Pinot, a site from which I’ve tasted Pinot Noirs since the ‘83 vintage and adore. This version has the signature Et Fille creaminess and spice nuance, and as with all Howard’s wines oak is a seasoning not the focus, but this wine has an individuality to it that is really quite impressive. Last is the ’06 Elton Vineyard Pinot, and it was by far the most Burgundian of the lot. I tasted a meaty aspect to this wine that reminded more of Gevrey Chambertin than Dundee, yet it has that sweet-seeming round fruit that is classic Oregon as well. Very complex, very impressive, and while delicious to drink now will likely be the most age-worthy of the lot. They make 2 other wines as well, an ‘07 Rose I didn’t taste but that is recommended by several friends with a passion for such wines. It’s made from Pinot as you’d expect, and should be a solid Thanksgiving pour at about $16. The white is a bone-dry ‘07 Viognier from the Deux Vert Vineyard that retails at about $25, and is as good an example of this grape as you’ll find, with a crispness to it that compliments the grape’s floral tones perfectly. The wines are available from the winery as well as throughout the Northwest of course, but also in New York and California as well. Again, the balance between appeal and authenticity is finely played here, and you can consider the entire range very highly recommended.
--- International Wine Review - 92.....2006 Et Fille Elton Vineyard Pinot Noir "The Elton Vineyard exhibits a medium ruby color and aromas of black cherry and raspberry fruit. It is soft and delicate on the palate with perhaps somewhat more intensity of flavor than the March Vineyard. On the palate it exhibits a .soft elegant texture, high acidity, and is nicely balanced throughout." 92.....2006 Et Fille Kalita Vineyard Pinot Noir "The Kalita Vineyard is dark ruby in color and offers aromas of black cherry, loam, forest floor, herbs and cedar. On the palate, it reveals concentrated red and blackberry fruit, black pepper and cedar with a soft silky texture and a long finish. Delicious." 91.....2006 Et Fille Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir "This bottling displays a lovely light ruby color and aromas of spicy red fruit. On the palate it reveals a delicate silky texture with good acidity and balance and a long lasting finish." --- Portland, OR newsletter - Et Fille Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard 2006 - "Of the 230+ wines tasted in the Willamette Valley around Memorial Day, the 2006 lineup at Et Fille jumped right to the top of our favorites list...The ... Maresh bottling stood out with it's gorgeous Dundee Hills aromatics, velvety texture, bright berry flavors mixed with earth and a vibrant intensity that led into a long sexy finish. Mid-weight and full of sappy cherry pie, sweet blueberry, hints of mocha and a streak of minerality, the Maresh dances that magic Pinot Tango: grace and beauty meet power and strength in one elegant presentation."
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