Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
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.
-
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. 3,157 cases made.
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.