Winemaker Notes
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
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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.
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.