Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of plum and spice character on the nose. Dried flowers, too. Full body, a solid core of fruit and ripe tannins. Very long and polished. A beauty now. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Pinot Noir Estate Flat Block, from vines planted back in 1979 at around 538 vines per acre, has a perfumed, more floral bouquet than the 2014 Justice Vineyard, with crushed strawberry and redcurrant aromas that are well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, impressive weight in the mouth, very finessed with a crisp, quite mineral-driven finish that lingers. There is something joyful and effortless about this Pinot Noir and it comes highly recommended.
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Wine & Spirits
Turfy and vinous, this wine is defined by a textural grip that comes from the shallow soils in this part of the Eola–Amity Hills. Scents of plum and burnished oak cohere into a dark, mildly spicy fruit flavor, but mineral firmness is the lasting impression, while bright acidity keeps everything aloft. (2,319 cases)
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and expressive, with depth to the plum, currant, floral and mineral flavors. Comes together seamlessly on the open-textured finish, leaving an echo of prickly tannins.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lush and forward, this lovely wine is bursting with red and black-cherry fruit. It socks you (gently) in the nose and seduces you in the mouth, with streaks of cola and a dash of pepper. No need to wait on this wine, as it is already drinking like a dream.
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.