Winemaker Notes
Named after Victoria’s daughter and Colene’s granddaughter, Adriane is an estate cuvée composed of specifically selected barrels that possess deep, concentrated flavors and a persistent finish. Deep ruby-red in color. The 2019 Adriane jumps from the glass with aromas of ripe raspberry and red cherry with hints of savory herbs. The palate brings the raspberry along with pomegranate, and a subtle spice note mixed with dark chocolate persist in the finish. This is a nicely structured wine with well-integrated acidity and velvety tannins. This layered, complex wine will drink beautifully over the next eight to twelve years.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A beautiful 2019 with raspberry, green-strawberry and violet aromas, following through to a medium body, firm tannins and a juicy finish. Linear and tight at the end.
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Wine Spectator
Appealingly taut, with distinctive crushed stone and underbrush accenting multilayered raspberry and floral tarragon flavors, which build tension and richness toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2031. 734 cases made.
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.”
The Chehalem Mountains is a northwest-southeast span of several distinct mountains, ridges and peaks in the northern part of the Willamette Valley. Of all of Willamette Valley's smaller AVAs, it is closest to the city of Portland. Its highest summit, Bald Peak at an elevation of 1,633 feet, serves to generate cooler air for the rest of the AVA and its hillside vineyards. The region covers 70,000 acres but only 1,600 acres are planted to vines; soils of the Chehalem Mountains are a mix of basalt, ocean sediment and loess.