Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Aeolian presents both purity and
power; aromas of black cherry, rhubarb, and black tea,
tremendous tension through the mid palate, and firm,
fine grain tannins through the finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple, the 2019 Pinot Noir AEolian has alluring scents of blood orange, tea leaves and earth with wild berries and Angostura-like accents. Silky and fresh, it flows across the palate with detailed floral flavors and finishes long and layered.
-
James Suckling
Aromas of cherry, plum, smoke and cedar. It’s medium-bodied with chalky tannins and vivid acidity. Plenty of dark fruit and wood spices and a supple finish with excellent length. Drink or hold.
-
Wine Spectator
Focused and a bit compact at the moment, but this is appealing for its plum, dusky spice and savory underbrush accents that finish with medium-grained tannins. Drink now.
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.