Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with whole bunches, the 2021 Gamay Noir Seven Springs Vineyard has layered aromas of red cherry, cranberry, orange peel, prosciutto and dried herbs. The medium-bodied palate is chalky and refreshing with concentrated layers of spicy fruit and a long, gently savory finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This 100% wholecluster Gamay Noir, with semi-carbonic maceration in stainless steel and six-months in neutral French oak, has surprisingly muscular tannins. It is packed with aromas and flavors of dark plums, red cherries, beeswax, pencil shavings and cinnamon spice. Acidity is nice, with a tiny spritz on the tongue.
Delightfully playful, but also capable of impressive gravitas, Gamay is responsible for juicy, berry-packed wines. From Beaujolais, Gamay generally has three classes: Beaujolais Nouveau, a decidedly young, fruit-driven wine, Beaujolais Villages and Cru Beaujolais. The Villages and Crus are highly ranked grape growing communes whose wines are capable of improving with age whereas Nouveau, released two months after harvest, is intended for immediate consumption. Somm Secret—The ten different Crus have their own distinct personalities—Fleurie is delicate and floral, Côte de Brouilly is concentrated and elegant and Morgon is structured and age-worthy.
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.