Winemaker Notes
Fruit from Five Mountain is fermented in small, temperature controlled steel tanks, hand punched down twice daily, and barreled in French oak barrels. After 10 months of aging, only the barrels that are most representative of the Five Mountain profile are carefully blended to create a rich, earthy Oregon Pinot Noir.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple, the 2021 Pinot Noir Five Mountain has deep aromas of cranberries, red cherries, black tea leaves, charcuterie and bitters. The medium-bodied palate explodes with concentrated, perfumed fruits. All that generosity is supported by silky tannins and bright, mouthwatering acidity that calls you in for another sip on the long, layered, spicy finish. What a lovely expression this vintage!
-
Wine Enthusiast
Blackberries, fresh-cut grass and orange peel aromas are joined by a full-on earthy, rocky post-rain petrichor/geosmin experience. Rain and fruit—talk about quintessentially Oregon. The wine’s fuller-bodied flavors include black cherries, basil and grilled beets. Crisp texture, with tangy acidity and firm tannins.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Taking on more primary ripe floral and fruity aromas, with notes of red and blue fruit shining though, the 2021 Pinot Noir Five Mountain pours a deep ruby and offers generous enveloping aromas of candied purple flowers, blackberry, and an accent of toasted spice. Mouth-filling with fruit, this full-bodied red is generous with supple, sweet tannins and a rounded mouthfeel that’s juicy all the way through the finish.
-
Wine Spectator
Shows intensity and focus, with zesty raspberry and cherry flavors laced with baking spices and tea leaves. Persists toward medium-grained tannins
-
James Suckling
A bright and red-fruited pinot with aromas of raspberries, strawberries, lemon peel and cinnamon. It’s medium-bodied, light-footed and fresh, with fine tannins and a sleek finish.
One of the founding wineries of the Willamette Valley, family-owned and operated Elk Cove Vineyards was the first vineyard in what is now the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Second-generation Owner/Winemaker and fifth-generation Oregon farmer Adam Campbell sources fruit from Elk Cove's six 100% estate-grown, sustainably farmed vineyard sites located across the northern Willamette Valley, specializing in Pinot Noir and cool-climate white wines. Elk Cove is named for the local herd of Roosevelt elk and the protective bowl shape of the property. Its tasting room is tucked into the foothills of the Coast Range, with spectacular views of the surrounding vineyards and mountains.
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.