Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Pinot Noir continues the Firesteed tradition of a consistent fruit driven style, achieved with gentle techniques in the cellar and imagination in the vineyard. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts propagated from cellars in Burgundy, pressed during the last days of fermentation and racked as soon as the wine finished malo-lactic fermentation. Lively with bright acidity, aromas of supple red cherries and mocha, with a hint of maple syrup, waft from the glass. On the palate this vintage mirrors the nose, showing flavors of pronounced red cherry, strawberry and hints of rhubarb. Well balanced, mid-palate the wine expresses a roundness filled with Crème Brule and finishes smooth with notes of dark chocolate and creamy caramel.
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.