The 2008 Pinot Noir Domaine ups the ante with greater complexity, dense, layered fruit, and a lengthy, seamless finish. It will be at its best from 2012 to 2020. King Estate is a 200,000 case winery located outside of the generic Willamette Valley AVA not far from Eugene. It is a tourist destination with beautiful grounds and an attractive restaurant. The winery also makes solid wine, much of it from their estate fruit which is organically certified. Their major focus appears to be on Pinot Gris which is produced at a range of price points and includes several site specific cuvees, all at very fair prices. I was shown vintages back to 2003 which have been evolving nicely.www.kingestate.com

The wine is King Estate’s superpremium offering, made exclusively with organically grown grapes from the estate vineyard. Lush and earthy, it’s got a lot of forward, tart berry fruit power, turns a bit soft in the middle, and sails away with a hint of heat and a lick of chocolate.——P.G.(12/15/2010)—— 90