This month, we present one of the iconic Pinots of Oregon's Willamette Valley, Domaine Serene's  Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir.

Your allocation is for one bottle. 

The 2006 Evenstad was called "one of the year's best Pinot Noirs" from Wine and Spirits Magazine and has garnered great press from the pundits: 

"Medium ruby-colored, it offers notes of cedar, cinnamon, clove, cassis, and raspberry. This is followed by a medium- to full-bodied wine with layers of complex red fruits, enough structure to evolve for 3-4 years, excellent integration of oak, tannin, and acidity, and a lengthy finish." 91 points, Robert Parker.

“Smooth and round, with a lovely polished feel to the dark berry, cherry, licorice and spice flavors, flowing easily over finely tuned tannins, persisting expressively.” - 92 points, Wine Spectator

Domaine Serene's mission is to grow, produce and market consistently outstanding quality ultra-premium wines. 
A passion and commitment to produce the world's best Pinot Noir led Ken and Grace Evenstad  to Oregon in 1989.  They founded Domaine Serene in the Dundee Hills located in the North Willamette Valley, where Oregon Pinot Noir began and where its heart remains.  With 3 vineyard estates totaling 312 acres and planted exclusively to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah, Domaine Serene's environmentally friendly farming practices and extremely low crop yields produce consistently concentrated, award winning wines.

The most famous wine critic in the World, Robert Parker, rated Domaine Serene as one of only two outstanding producers of Pinot Noir in Oregon, and the 17th Annual Wine & Spirit's Restaurant Poll named Domaine Serene Pinots as the Most Popular Oregon Pinot Noir in the country. In the now legendary "Domaine Serene vs. Domaine de la Romanée Conti" blind tasting, Domaine Serene bested the most sought after Pinot Noirs in France, while renowned wine writer, Anthony Dias Blue, declared Domaine Serene the "Château Lafite of Oregon".

Domaine Serene is based in a spectacular five-level winemaking facility atop the Red Hills of Dundee, Oregon. Domaine Serene's facility encorporates many features that have been copied by many other wineries, such as

--Utilizing a traditional gravity-flow method throughout the entire winemaking process.

--Creating flexibility by building a large enough space - one where decisions are made in keeping with the quality of the wine, not due to logistics of space and equipment.

--Three separate barrel rooms, keeping them individually controlled for humidity and temperature (newly harvested Pinot Noir, previous vintage Pinot Noir still in the barrel, and Chardonnay).

--Holding wine at least one year after bottling, before release, in a bottled-wine aging cellar.

Tony Rynders is the Winemaker at Domaine Serene. Tony has a wide diversity of winemaking experiences spanning well over a decade. Since 1998 he has been Winemaker for Domaine Serene. He previously served as Red Winemaker at a major Washington State producer and also worked in wineries in Oregon, twice in Italy, Australia and California.

More than half of Domaine Serene's total acreage at each of the three Estates (Evenstad, Jerusalem Hill and Winery Hill) is set aside for natural habitat of wildlife and flora.  Vineyard layout and the use of natural grasses provide effective erosion control. Domaine Serene uses no chemical pesticides in the vineyard.

In order to preserve natural resources and to encourage deep root development for the health of the vine, Domaine Serene does not use irrigation. Cultural practices such as hedging, leaf pulling and dis-budding in combination with natural products and carefully selected anti-fungals control disease in fruit production.  Weed-control is kept in check with the judicious use of herbicides.

The winery has a commitment to maintaining low vigor vines and ultra low crop levels.

Recipe: Pan Roasted Halibut, Green Beans, Lardons and Salsa Verde Serves 4

This simple, elegant dish makes a great main course for a sit down dinner. Pair with decanted bottles of this months Pinot selection. 

• 4 halibut fillets, about 7 ounces each
• 12 ounces green beans
• 4 slices of bacon, cut into small cubes (lardons)
• 1 small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 small handful of fresh basil
• 10 mint leaves
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 dill pickle
• 1 small handful of capers
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Splash of red wine vinegar

Start by making the salsa verde. Finely chop, by hand, the parsley basil and mint. Put in a medium sized bowl. Finely chop the pickle and capers, and add to the bowl. Do the same for the anchovy fillets. Mash the garlic clove, and add. Add a splash of red wine vinegar, and a 1/4 cup of olive oil. Mix. If it is looking too dry, add more olive oil. Keep adding until everything looks moist, and there is a little oil in the bottom of the bowl. I like to chop this by hand, so that you see some great texture.
Let the verde stand at room temperature whilst you prepare everything else.
French cut the beans. Top and tail the beans, and cut it into thin sections, lengthwise.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the beans. Put the beans into the boiling water, and boil for until just tender.Strain when done. Add to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large saute pan. When the oil is hot, put the fish in, flesh side down. Cook the fish like this for about 4 minutes – until the flesh is nicely golden.
Heat up a thick pan – preferably a well seasoned cast iron one. When hot, fry the bacon in this for about 4 minutes, until just cooked through.
Flip the fish over, and put it in the oven, for about 6 more minutes – but this really depends on the thickness of your halibut. The fish is done when it is opaque throughout, and flakes easily with a fork. Add the bacon to the beans and toss together.
To plate – put a pile of salsa verde in the center of a plate. Push it into a circle using the back of a spoon. Top this with a generous helping of beans. Very carefully place the halibut fillet on top

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