Bethel Heights Casteel Reserve Pinot Noir 2007 Front Label
Bethel Heights Casteel Reserve Pinot Noir 2007 Front Label

Winemaker Notes

2007 was a classic, cool Oregon vintage, similar to 2005 (and 1999 and 2001) and very different from 2006 – our hottest vintage on record. In 2007, the summer provided adequate heat to ripen the fruit, and the fall finished cool, allowing the grapes to fully express their varietal character without losing acidity and without accumulating excessive amounts of sugar, as Pinot noir tends to do in hot vintages.

In the end, 2007 gave us wines with moderate alcohol, bright acidity, and pure fruit character. As our winemaker said, "2007 needed very little intervention in the winery. The work was all done in the vineyard."

Professional Ratings

  • 92
    My favorite of the collection is the 2007 Pinot Noir Casteel Reserve, a selection of the best blocks on the property. It is the most deeply colored as well as the most fragrant. Asian spices, incense, black cherry, and black raspberry aromas lead to a layered wine with tons of succulent fruit, 2-3 years of aging potential, and a long, pure finish. It will offer pleasure through 2022.
Bethel Heights

Bethel Heights

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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.

NWWCASTEEL_2007 Item# 108588