Panther Creek in 2011 Oregon Pinot Noir Retrospective | Washington Wine Blog
Initially panned as a poor vintage, many wine critics, including myself, were downright incorrect in reviewing the 2011 vintage. What is now in the glass is typically something more linear, earthy and in its best edition, thoroughly intoxicating. It is clear that many of these wines were not ready upon release and needed time to develop in the bottle. I think that 2011 as a vintage, like 2007, is particularly challenging to rate, due to the range of quality in the wines. Originally upon release I saw this vintage as better than most Oregon wine reviewers, rating it 88, as I noted good and even great wines made upon release as well as some lean, bordering watery wines, particularly with some of the value Pinot Noirs that struggled with gaining adequate concentration. I have re-rated this vintage 90 as there are far more wines that are near or exceed 90 points. In fact, I tried a very high concentration of wine that I rated over 90 points.