Winemaker Notes
A dazzling, full-bodied Pinot Noir with robust notes of wild strawberries, cherry cola, and red currants, with a concentrated Luxardo cherry and pomegranate syrup finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
What an incredibly sensual nose of red fruits this Oregon pinot noir has! Also myriad, subtle notes of spice, savory and mint. Enormously concentrated, vibrant and precise, this has an uplifting brilliance that makes you feel glad to have encountered this super-elegant masterpiece. And at the silky finish this just doesn’t want to stop. From Brooks Vineyard, where the vines grow on volcanic basalt soil.
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Wine Enthusiast
2021 was a strong vintage for Brooks’ Pinot Noir program, and the Rastaban is my favorite. A rich raspberry-jam aroma is joined by orange zest and a mild leather note similar to an antique motorcycle jacket. Blackberries rule the smooth palate, with black-tea and lavender notes: elegant and seamless.
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.