Winemaker Notes
Artwork shows our public barrel tasting.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Pinot Noir McCrone Vineyard falls on the dark fruit side of the spectrum both aromatically and on the palate. It has a plush presence in the mouth, superb balance, and a long, firm finish. Give it 6-8 years and drink it through 2030.
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Wine Enthusiast
Violets, sweet candy and Dr. Pepper scents rise from the glass, followed by full, confident fruit flavors, like a bowl of ripe cherries. The vineyard owners spend half the year in New Zealand, where they manage a similar vineyard; this could well pass for a kiwi-style Pinot with its lush, forward, fruit punch style.
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.