Winemaker Notes
Introducing the ‘Mosaic’ Pinot Noir (formerly Terroir Series Pinot Noir), a testament to the unparalleled diversity of terroir within Alexana Estate’s two vineyards nestled in the backside of the Dundee Hills.
In 2019, Dr. Revana planted the Kinney Ranch Estate Vineyard. This historic site, once home to a horse farm, is nearly contiguous to Alexana Estate, sharing the same unique geology. Together, these two vineyards offer a vibrant tapestry of flavors. Regenerative farming practices and meticulous hand-harvesting ensure each block’s individual character is preserved. The grapes are fermented and aged separately, allowing their unique personalities to fully develop before being brought together into this final ‘Mosaic’ of Pinot Noir.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Lively and fresh, with lovely raspberry and strawberry flavors accented by orange blossoms and fresh violet as this glides on the long, supple, refined finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A dark red color, the 2023 Pinot Noir Mosaic is enveloping and ripe with notes of preserved black cherry, pressed sage, lavender, and sappy earth. The palate is snappy, with bright acidity that complements its riper, more plush fruit, velvety tannins, and generous finish.
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James Suckling
Savory and structured, this offers red-cherry and dried-orange aromas, together with hints of chocolate nibs and red spices. Medium-bodied with well-defined tannins and bright acidity coming through. Zesty and crunchy finish.
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Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir Mosaic Estate is darkly floral, wafting up with notes of dusty rose, lavender and dried black cherries. Cool-toned and lifted, it presents polished red berry fruits that swirl across a stream of tantalizing acidity. Liquid violet florals coat the palate. The finish is gently tannic with a pleasantly bitter blackberry tinge.
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.”
Home of the first Pinot noir vineyard of the Willamette Valley, planted by David Lett of Eyrie Vineyard in 1966, today the Dundee Hills AVA remains the most densely planted AVA in the valley (and state). To its north sits the Chehalem Valley and to its south, runs the Willamette River. Within the region’s 12,500 acres, about 1,700 are planted to vine on predominantly basalt-based, volcanic, Jory soil.