Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir 2009
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Winemaker Notes
As refreshing as liquid fruit salad in a glass, this wine opens with explosive aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry, black cherry, and a hint of smoke and anise. Flavors mirror the aromas and are complemented by balanced, soft tannins and ripe acidity. Juicy flavors lead to a juicy pomegranite finish. This wine holds an elegant, refined weight on the palate throughout, inviting another sip. Meant to drink young. Enjoy this wine now through 2014.
Perfect with bold cheeses, Thai food and pizza. If lightly chilled, the perfect pairing for a summer picnic. Also an excellent match for grilled fish or chicken - a good choice for a summer BBQ.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A light and jazzy red, displaying pretty cherry and raspberry fruit on a deftly balanced frame, lingering nicely. Drink now through 2014. 12,125 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Pinot Noir Whole Cluster Fermented is light ruby red with a fruity, Beaujolais-like nose that jumps from the glass. On the palate it sports loads of juicy, spicy red fruit with enough acidity for balance. Drink this easygoing, uncomplicated, but pleasure-bent effort over the next 2-3 years. It is a very good value.
Willamette Valley Vineyards is a reliable producer of quality Pinot Noir.
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Wine Enthusiast
At just 12.5% alcohol, you’ll find this lively, light, fruity Pinot has a sweet core of pretty cherry fruit. Nonetheless, it’s dry and finishes with an astringent, leafy, palate-refreshing scrape of tannin. A fine sipping wine, with a resonant finish.
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A combination of determination and extraordinary people has brought Willamette Valley Vineyards from a bold idea to one of the region's leading wineries, earning the title "One of America's Great Pinot Noir Producers," from Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
The “budwood” of Willamette Valley Vineyards began long before its founding in 1983 by vintner Jim Bernau. His Dad was hired by a California winemaker to secure the first winery license in Oregon since Prohibition. Jim’s Dad allowed him small tastes of Richard Sommer’s wine, lighting a path that led Jim from home winemaking to studies at UC Davis and eventually Beaune, France.
In 1983, Jim cleared away an old pioneer plum orchard in the Salem Hills and hand-watered his first plantings using 17 lengths of 75’ garden hose.
Jim's vision of organizing the support of wine enthusiasts to build a winery that would produce world-class wines through shared ownership has resulted in more than 16,000 owners. The winery's Common (WVVI) and Preferred (WVVIP) are traded on the NASDAQ.
The winery sources all of its barrel-aged Pinot Noir from its estate vineyards and practices environmentally sustainable farming. All of the vineyards have been certified sustainable through LIVE (Low Impact Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon-Safe programs since 1997.
Home of some of the planet’s most amazingly elegant and expressive Pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is a pastoral, mixed landscape of green, bucolic rolling hills, dramatic forestlands and small, independent, friendly wine growers. As a leader in environmental stewardship, the valley has some of the nation’s most protective land use policies, with two-thirds of its vineyards farmed sustainably and over half, organically. While the valley claims a cool, continental climate, and is heavily influenced by the cold, moist winds of the Pacific Ocean, its warm and dry summers allow for the steady, even ripening of Pinot noir.
The potential of Willamette Valley Pinot noir continues to attract the investment of serious growers and winemakers both locally and from abroad, as naturally the finished wines bring accolades from professionals and enthusiasts. With a range of styles from delicate dried cherry, raspberry and hibiscus to stronger notes of truffle, mocha, plum and spice, a fine Willamette Valley Pinot noir is a perfect expression of both character and grace.