Winemaker Notes
Botanica is an expression of the fecundity and fertility of the flora of this place. It tends towards sappy, sanguine, with a taste of wild rose, sour cherries, and blood orange. It is tempting to define it solely by its compelling texture and lush personality, but there is a structural element that is equally striking. This balance between extraordinary concentration and pronounced tension is the essence of the wine.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This starts out with a more savory, earthy and spicy expression and has a gently meaty edge to the nose with a vibrant, exotic feel. Violets and wild herbs abound with forest wood and sous bois – very complex already. The palate has a very tautly composed feel with acidity really adding spark to dense, powerful tannins. Red and dark cherries abound and there’s a floral and mineral thread of flavor. Salty too, like samphire and nasturtium. Striking wine. Best from 2023.
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.