Winemaker Notes
The first 21 acres of the Angela Vineyard were planted in 2006 with Pinot Noir clones 777, Wadenswil and 115. An additional 13 acres were planted in 2007, totaling 34 acres. Careful soil preparation, specifically designed to nourish the microorganisms located at the layer 30 to 36 inches below ground (where topsoil meets mother rock) – creates the critical component which gives expression to Pinot Noir. Labor-intensive shoot positioning (hand-straightening and pinning of individual shoot) along with exact canopy management ensure that every leaf of the vine is photo-synthetically active. Because of the uniqueness of the Savannah Ridge, the entire vineyard is usually harvested in one day.
The Wadenswil clone dominantly planted on this vineyard produces Pinot Noir with incredible aromatics that exhibit rose petal, tea leaf and lavender top notes. The Dijon 777 and 115 round out the base and middle notes with bright red fruits, soft, plush tannins and balanced with baking spice and pepper.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Gorgeous succulent and stemmy nose. Some meaty notes on the mid palate which displays a soft, rounded texture.
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Wine Enthusiast
Ken Wright oversees production for Angela Estate, bringing his 30-plus years of Oregon experience to the task. This lovely bottle is smooth and supple, the fruit a mix of ripe raspberry, red plum and cherry jam, with a gentle touch of chocolate. It's seamless and delicious now but should age nicely though 2026.
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.”
Yamhill-Carlton, characterized by pastoral, rolling hills composed of shallow, quick-draining, ancient marine soil, is ideal for Pinot noir and other cool-climate-loving varieties. It is in the rain shadow of the Coast Range to its west, whose highest point climbs to an altitude of 3,500 feet. Yamhill-Carlton is actually surrounded by mountains on three sides: Chehalem Mountains to the north, the Dundee Hills to the east and the western Coast Range to its west, which, when it lets Pacific air through, serves to cool the region.
Vineyards grow on the ridges surrounding the two small communities of Yamhill and Carlton and cover about 1,200 acres of this 60,000 acre region, which roughly makes a horse-shoe shape on a map.