Winemaker Notes
A brilliant ruby red color, the 2018‘Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir expresses aromas of dried cherry, dark chocolate, and saddle leather on the nose. On the palate, ripples of composed tannins and savory characters of cherry tobacco, ground cloves, and allspice reveal themselves, leading to a finish of great concentration and acidity. This Pinot Noir is beautiful on release and will age gracefully in the cellar for years to come.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A deep, brooding Pinot that slowly unfolds with expressive black cherry, dusty mocha, clove and other spice flavors that fan out on the long, savory finish. Drink now through 2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Evenstad Reserve has very deep scents of red cherry and blueberry preserves, aniseed, blood orange and dark spices. The medium-bodied palate is silky and refreshing with fragrant fruit and a long, spicy finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine, which spent 16 months in French oak, slightly more than half of it new, retains tight and compact flavors of brambly blackberries, herbs and lightly composted earth. The acidity is as prominent as the fatter, toasty barrel flavors, and the impression is that more bottle age will be a real advantage before you pull the cork.
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.