To end 2009 I went to a wine tasting at Santiam Wine Company in Salem Oregon on the 31st.  Debbie always has a great selection of wine, and if you want a reasonably priced bottle, she has special selections each month.  The menu for the evening started with a non vintage Brut from Capitello.  Then we had five 2008 Pinot Noir’s from around the Willamette Valley.  They were from Et Fille, Broadley, Cummins Road, Haden Fig, and Cape Lookout.  All of the wines are showing very nicely now and show how great of a vintage 2008 was.

I spent a bit of time enjoying the Et Fille.  Debbie poured the 2006 Willamette Valley from Et Fille about two years ago and that was my first experience with them.  After trying that first wine I called up the winery and Howard, the owner and wine maker, opened up his 2006 line up in their barrel room.  The Willamette Valley at $24 a bottle is a great value Pinot Noir.  However, my favorite is normally his Maresh vineyard Pinot Noir.  That first tasting was just after we found out the we were having a baby girl, so the label and name seemed extra cool.  We enjoyed a bottle of Et Fille 2006 Maresh just after she was born to celebrate with some friends.