Winemaker Notes
Aromatically the wine lifts from the glass with a combination of perfectly ripened red and black fruits, with a graphite smokiness and a hint of mulling spices. On the palate, their is a youthful tannic structure and a floral flavors alongside the fruity notes.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Spicy cologne lifts from the 2021 Pinot Noir Paul Gerrie Vineyard, with both high-toned and darker notes of sage, menthol, bergamot, and cranberry cocktail. Medium to full-bodied, it’s tightly coiled, with tremendous length, gripping ripe tannins, a bright spine of acidity, and mouthwatering salinity that lasts long on the finish. It offers up great mineral texture and will need 3-5 more years in bottle.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pinot Noir Paul Gerrie Vineyard was fermented with 40% whole clusters. It's bursting with a kaleidoscopic perfume of strawberry, raspberry and pomegranate and nuances of lavender, licorice and bitters. The light-bodied palate is elegantly styled, with understated, spicy fruit, vibrant acidity, chalky tannins and a very long, layered finish.
-
James Suckling
Well-crafted, seductive and lively, with notes of sliced strawberries, cherries, roses and pink peppercorns. Medium-bodied with bright acidity and an intense core of wild berries and spices mingling on the mid-palate. Precise and vibrant with a long finish.
-
Wine Enthusiast
The wine’s blueberry, mocha and almond aromas are like the best trail bar ever. Bing cherries rule the palate, where complementary flavors of bittersweet dark chocolate and black coffee ply their trade. The tannins are velvety, the acidity explosive
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.