Winemaker Notes
Intense, rich balanced acidity. On the nose, red fruits and anise intertwine with savory notes of bay and tarragon. On the palate, rich red plum and marionberry characteristics are supported by great structure and brilliant acidity typical of the McMinnville AVA. The finish is remarkably long and builds, showcasing great aging potential.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Pinot Noir Gestalt Block, aged 12 months in 30% new French oak, has a medium ruby-purple color and is slow to open on the nose. With time, it offers crushed stone, grapefruit peel, potpourri, blueberry and floral nuances over a core of red currant, cranberry and red cherries. The palate is medium-bodied and absolutely explodes with juicy, bitters-laced red fruits. It has a firm, very finely grained frame and mouthwatering acidity on the long, layered finish that begs you to take another sip. Yowza! This will benefit from another couple of years in bottle.
Rating: (95)+
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Wine Enthusiast
There's a salty note here, with pomegranate fruit, brambly berries and a streak of citrus. Aged a full year in 30% new French oak, it dries out a bit toward the finish, with tannins that taste of tea and leave a light impression of ash. As with all Brittan wines, it beautifully expresses the McMinnville terroir with a distinct minerality throughout.
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James Suckling
This has a very attractive, minerally thread of dark stones and graphite-like aromas, through ripe dark cherries and chocolate. The palate has a bold, full style with rich, dark-cherry flavors, cast in sweeping waves of tannin.
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.