Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Representing 122 cases from Temperance Hill’s oldest block, the J. K. Carriere 2011 Pinot Noir Antoinette was – as usual for this bottling – exposed to less new wood than were its siblings. Oily tangerine and blood orange rinds as well as a quickening sense of their fresh juices lend allure, piquant invigoration and refreshment to this bottling’s sappy, energetic performance. Tart red currant and wild cherry laced with its pits offer delectable synergy with citrus, and the tannins here are ultra-fine. Expect excitement well into the next decade.
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.