Winemaker Notes
Aromas of black cherry and black pepper over subtle hints of cassis, sandalwood and cola. The palate is broad and brooding; the heat of 2015 brought on thicker skins and the resulting added structure is apparent in this young wine, but vibrant acidity helps keep the young wine in balance. This should age gracefully for a decade or more.
2015 was characterized by early bud- break, early bloom, plenty of sunshine and a big heat spike in early August. A hot summer like this can push potential alcohols, forcing an early harvest that precludes hang time. But September brought mercifully cool temperatures and chilly evenings. Sugar accumulation was arrested and the vineyard was allowed to develop flavor. Not overripe flavors. Not high alcohol flavors, but instead the integrated, intense, and focused flavors only afforded by generous hang time at cool temperatures.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Herbs, redcurrants, spices and some blueberries show on the nose now, which is a little closed. The palate though, is very velvety and shows lovely density with layers of fruit, fresh acidity and a long finish. Needs time to come around. Drink in 2020.
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Wine Enthusiast
This robust, muscular wine is packed with black cherry fruit. New French oak swathes the outstanding fruit in comforting flavors of mocha and butterscotch. It's smooth and seductive, with a kiss of dark chocolate on the finish.
Editors' Choice -
Wine Spectator
Tightly focused, with a lively core of fresh acidity and broad-shouldered tannins, keenly balanced by cherry and guava flavors, accented by hints of sandalwood and spice. Best from 2019 through 2023.
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.