Winemaker Notes
This is a bright red beauty with a subtle smokey aroma and deep, complex fruit notes. Taut and focused on the palate, a hint of red berry reminiscent of fresh strawberry jam is complicated with a lovely underlying spiciness and earth. With super-fine tannins and a satisfyingly long finish, this is a classic representation for the lover of age worthy Pinot Noir.
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Intense but elegant raspberry, perfume and tomato vine on nose. Palate shows lovely purity both of variety and region. On the palate a slightly sour cherry note combines with lovely strawberry fruit for balance, freshness and complexity. Long and appealing on the finish. RS: Ripe, dark cherry nose, smokey and bacon fat, sweet vanilla and herbal stalky character, grippy tannins and acidity. BW: Intense but elegant raspberry, perfume and tomato vine on nose. Palate shows lovely purity both of variety and region. A slightly sour cherry note combines with lovely strawberry fruit for a balanced, very fresh and complex palate. A lovely long finish. A silky, glossy wine, perfect to drink now. AH: An intriguing Pinot which shows a little more fruit ripeness than the classic European regions, but is still restrained, inviting and a little mysterious. Some leafy notes on the nose yet the fruit quality is very ripe and vibrant. A touch of redcurrant and blackberry. Lovely acidity here. A fine Pinot Noir which marries richness, ripeness with understated class. Long and appealing aftertaste.
-
James Suckling
This has a beautifully detailed, sliced-strawberry and cherry-scented nose with a fluid, round and nicely structured palate that offers good length and depth. Impressive balance. Drink in the next five years.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The pale to medium ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir has a nose of fresh cranberries, raspberries and warm red cherry jam with hints of smoked meat, peppercorn and warm earth. Light to medium-bodied and very vibrant in the mouth, it offers warm red fruit preserves and dried red flowers framed by very fine, grainy tannins and mouthwatering acidity, finishing long with savory nuances.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This aromatic wine mixes hints of thimbleberries with a light whiff of compost. The flavors follow in line, with wild raspberry fruit and a bit of mocha. It's firmly anchored in svelte ripe tannins, and just a touch of chocolate. As with virtually all Eyrie Pinots, this should age nicely for a decade at least. Drink now to 2030.
Cellar Selection
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.