Winemaker Notes
Fermentation was conducted in the classical Burgundian manner, with punching-down of the cap and tasting of the juice two to three times per day. The wine was aged in French Oak barrels, of which less than 20% were new. Malolactic fermentation was completed in the barrels naturally, without inoculation. The wine was racked by gravity after malolactic fermentation was complete in the late spring and early summer, and was bottled in January 2001.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The dark-colored 1999 Pinot Noir Laurene displays black cherry, blackberry, and spice aromas. Medium to full-bodied, intense, and focused, this wine admirably combines outstanding depth with purity. Its grape and black cherry flavors can be found throughout its seamless personality and long, ripe finish.
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.