Winemaker Notes
Layered of aromas, including blackberry, currant, toasty pie crust, eucalyptus, and a waft of hearty meatiness. Dark fruits prevail on the palate--cherry, plum and mission fig--nicely seasoned with sage and a light smokiness. The mouth is soft, yet still textural, as tannin and acid marry evenly.
Excellent with wild mushrooms, duck, roast beef, lamb, other red meats or even grilled salmon.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple in the glass, the 2016 Pinot Noir Estate Selection offers crushed cranberries, blueberries and Cran-Apple scents with notes of violet, prosciutto, earth, oolong and cola. The medium-bodied palate is silky with loads of pure fruits and a classy frame of new oak spice, finishing long and fresh. This aged 15 months in 33% new French oak.
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Wine Spectator
Floral cherry, mineral and pomegranate aromas open to delicate orange zest and spice flavors that finish with refined 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.