Anyone making their own wine should think of their wine label as a sort of business card. It creates a first impression and, as they say, you only have one chance to make one. This wine, created by our very good friends at Evening Land Vineyards, was presented to us several vintages ago and, though we thought the wine was excellent, the package was, shall we say, drab. Well, maybe even worse than drab. But when the newest vintage of the same delicious wine was presented to us the other day, we had a completely different impression. This was a label I would love seeing on the counter anytime! And with the quality of the wine even better than the last time we tried it and a price tag equally as compelling, I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship! The picture on the label, of course, finds its inspiration from ‘The Red Fuji,’ one of Hokusai’s 36 Ukiyo-e woodblock print views of Mount Fuji made during the early nineteenth century. Here, though, the iconic mountain is replaced here with Oregon’s own Mount Hood and, wrapped around this excellent bottle of Pinot, well, I think I am in Willamette Valley heaven. Bottled as a sort of second label for Evening Land, this too is 100% from the Seven Springs Vineyard, the Eola-Amity Hills vineyard that has been the heart and soul of Evening Land from the start. Essentially a barrel selection of wines that don’t make it into the other cuvees, like its far more expensive brethren bottled under the Evening Land label, it too was farmed organically and biodynamically and saw sixteen months in wood before bottling, although, in practice, none of it was new. Made in a take-me-now style for immediate gratification, this is a Pinot all about its snappy, front-and-center dark, mulberry-infused fruit, its focused and forward aromatics and its crunchy, lively finish. Fun and fruity enough to enjoy all on its own in the backyard with your feet up (and dreaming of Mount Fuji), there’s plenty enough chutzpah as well to make it a fine partner with grilled salmon, all sorts of poultry dishes and even some burgers off the grill. Priced very well, this is one to buy by the case and drink a ton of over the next three or four years