Brittan Gestalt Block Pinot Noir 2015
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Robert
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Though more black-fruited than the Basalt Block bottling, this expresses to an even greater degree the minerality that typifies all Brittan Pinots. Dense, concentrated blueberry compote and black cherry come with residual flavors of astringent, dry stones. The mouthfeel is wonderfully textured and complex, yet detailed. It should provide pleasure for at least a decade; drink now through 2030.
#44 Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2018 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2015 Pinot Noir Gestalt Block is youthfully shy on the nose, opening out to aromas of baked red cherry, cranberry sauce, black cherry and blackberry with nuances of fresh tobacco, forest floor, tree bark, toasted coconut and blue fruit preserves—there are lots of layers here. Medium-bodied, it packs in the black, red and blue fruits in the mouth with tons of spicy and earthy accents and some baking spice coming through. It’s structured with firm, wonderfully grainy tannins and juicy acidity to counter the density of fruit/earth/spice. This has the substance to blossom beautifully over the next 2-3 years.
Rating: 94+
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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.
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.