Brittan Basalt Block Pinot Noir 2015
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Robert
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Gestalt Block Pinot noir is the tenth vintage of this block-specific wine. On the nose, the 2015 Gestalt showcases beautiful aromas of blueberry, cassis and leather, underpinned with hints of tarragon and bay leaf. The rich palate rolls with dark cherry, cranberry and orange zest, with hints of cardamom and cinnamon. The finish is persistent and elegant, alluding to a very long and graceful aging period.
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Wine Enthusiast
Brittan's wines may seem a bit austere when first opened, which is no fault in this instance. The 2015s are a touch richer and fuller than the previous vintage, yet retain the laser focus on terroir, and specifically the basalt-driven minerality of this estate. Here are raspberries galore, with pinpoint definition. Drink now–2030 and perhaps beyond.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Basalt Block is youthfully coiled and shy, giving up notions of crushed red and black cherry, licorice, cardamom, forest floor and hints of rose petal and violet—this has plenty of lurking layers. The palate is medium-bodied and concentrated with firm, very finely grained tannins and great freshness to lift the density of flavor on the long mineral finish. Give this time in bottle—it’s going to be great.
Rating: 93+
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Robert Brittan left Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa after 16 years as Winemaker and Estate Manager to fulfill his dream of making Pinot Noir and Syrah from unique sites in cooler climates. His winemaking career began in his dorm room at Oregon State University, where he was a physics and philosophy major.
Being both geeky and broke, he soon realized that alcohol was an attractant to co-eds, so he began his career in fermentation sciences in order to get a date. He ultimately completed his education at UC Davis and moved to Napa Valley, where he made wines for Far Niente, Saint Andrews and Stags’ Leap Winery.
With over 40 years of experience growing grapes and making wine, he brings a significant amount of viticultural and winemaking knowledge to Brittan Vineyards. He has always had a passion for Pinot Noir, and hopes that with the fruit from the Brittan estate vineyard in the foothills of the Coastal Range, he can bring a new voice to the McMinnville AVA, and help form the style and definition of Pinot Noir from this recently designated winegrowing region.
In addition to his own wines, Robert is also the winemaker for several other brands, to include: Blakeslee, deLancellotti, Fairsing, Noble Pig, Winderlea and Youngberg Hill. As a result, Robert is now making wines from all six of the sub-AVA’s of the Willamette Valley and has learned first hand that Pinot Noir lends itself to many wonderful interpretations, depending on the soils and microclimates where it is grown.
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.”
Stretching southwest from the city of McMinnville, the AVA with the same name covers about 40,000 acres across 20 miles until it meets the Van Duzer Corridor. This corridor is the only break in the Coast Range whose gap allows the cool Pacific Ocean air to flow eastward into the Willamette Valley.
The Pacific's moderating winds hit McMinnville’s south and southeast facing slopes where cool-climate varieties—namely Pinot noir and Pinot blanc thrive on ridges at between 200 to 1,000 feet in elevation.
Soils here are primarily uplifted marine sedimentary loam and silt, with alluvial formations; McMinnville receives less rainfall than its neighbors to the east because it is situated in the rain shadow of the Coast Range.