Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A deeper jeweled magenta, the 2023 Pinot Noir Estate blends multiple estate parcels and is perfumed with cherry liqueur, black raspberry, violets, candied flowers, and rocky earth. It’s medium-bodied, ripe, and elegant, with fine tannins and more density than the 2021 or 2022 vintages, yet it remains light on its feet.
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James Suckling
Aromas of red cherries, cranberries, dried herbs and subtle spices. The palate is fresh and layered, with fine tannins and lifted red fruit. Balanced and savory, with a long finish. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Pinot Noir Estate has slowly unfolding scents of rhubarb, blackberry, blood orange, lavender and iron. The medium-bodied palate features concentrated, floral flavors. It’s framed by fine, chalky tannins and vibrant acidity and has a long, nuanced finish. It will benefit from time in a decanter.
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Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir Estate opens with a vibrant blend of crushed cherries and blackberries, elevated by sweet herbal tones and a nuance of spice. Juicy acidity enlivens depths of crisp wild berry fruit and mineral notes. The finish is pleasantly grippy, tapering off chewy and long with a tinge of licorice that lingers.
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Wine Spectator
Tightly wound and full of tension, with sinewy flavors of blueberry and raspberry framed by stony mineral and dusky spice notes. Finishes with firm tannins. Needs time. Best from 2026 through 2033.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.