Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a fresh, attractive edge of violets and ripe blue fruit, as well as a leafy and herbal layer on the nose. The palate has a succulent and juicy array of fine and even-paced tannins that carry a detailed and fresh impression into the finish. Drink now. Screw cap.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Pinot Noir Three Vineyard is pale to medium ruby-purple in color with wild blackberries and black cherries over wonderful nuances of undergrowth, wet leaves, floral perfume and just the slightest touch of pleasant stemmy character. Medium-bodied, it has warm black and red fruit preserves flavors in the mouth, framed by grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing long with plenty of perfumed earth notes.
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Tasting Panel
This wine has a bright, tart nose with spiced notes of cinnamon and cardamom. White pepper and woody tones on the palate.
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Wine Enthusiast
A blend of estate-grown grapes, this new vintage is nicely layered with complex flavors of black cherry, cold-brewed coffee, licorice and barrel toast. There's a hint of clean earth under a smooth, lingering finish.
Editors' Choice
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Wine Spectator
Sleek and vibrant, with lively rose petal, cherry and dark tea accents that linger toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2023.
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.