Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This extraordinary Oregon pinot noir marries incredible concentration with equally extraordinary spicy and earthy complexity on the compact, yet silky, medium-bodied palate. Mind-blowing textural finesse in the almost endless finish. From the Brooks Estate vineyard that was planted in 1973. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Jeweled ruby in color, the 2023 Pinot Noir Rastaban offers intense red cherry, piney forest herbs, dark stone, and lavender. From biodynamic estate vines, the wine is medium-bodied yet expansive, with ripe tannins, vibrant violets, and a gravelly texture that brings balance and length. Drink over the next 15 years.
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Vinous
This extraordinary Oregon pinot noir marries incredible concentration with equally extraordinary spicy and earthy complexity on the compact, yet silky, medium-bodied palate. Mind-blowing textural finesse in the almost endless finish. From the Brooks Estate vineyard that was planted in 1973. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.
Rating: 96+
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.