Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir 2012
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Wine &
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The remarkable growing season of 2012 resulted in perfectly ripe fruit with intense colors and concentrated flavors. Deep purple in color with dark bramble fruit aromas complemented with notes of molasses and anise. On the palate, the wine is generous and full-bodied with flavors of boysenberries, chocolate, leather and coffee accented by an integrated oak profile. Silky tannins and bright acidity provide an excellent dimension to the ample fruit. This wine is both elegant and intense, exemplifying the bolder side of the "Oregon style." Peak drinkability 2014- 2018.
A great accompaniment to cedar plank salmon, red quinoa and vegetable stir-fry with rosemary chicken, wood-fired pizza with roasted vegetables.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
An exuberant pinot noir, with scents of red cherry and a mild tinge of pipe tobacco, this is generous and inviting. With the fine grip of fruit-skin tannins, the wine has the heft for something like duck confit.
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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.