Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Subtle notes of citrus peel, dried flowers, fresh nuts and pastry. Layered and complex, with a medium body and polished texture. Fine bubbles. Round and lengthy. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
This roughly equal mix of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay leads with aromas of of lemon sorbet, straw and the scent of two quartz rocks striking to create sparks. Its traditional method bubbles form a tight, elegant column as flavors like lemon, pith and peels included, wet rocks and pine needles fill the mouth.
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Vinous
The 2019 Brut Cuvée is sweetly floral, displaying a whiff of white flowers and confectionary spice complicated by hints of flinty stone. This floods the palate with a creamy bead of soothing bubbles and ripe pit fruits as juicy acidity maintains fantastic balance. It tapers off a bit shorter than expected yet leaves a lovely freshness.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
One of Pinot Noir's most successful New World outposts, the Willamette Valley is the largest and most important AVA in Oregon. With a continental climate moderated by the influence of the Pacific Ocean, it is perfect for cool-climate viticulture and the production of elegant wines.
Mountain ranges bordering three sides of the valley, particularly the Chehalem Mountains, provide the option for higher-elevation vineyard sites.
The valley's three prominent soil types (volcanic, sedimentary and silty, loess) make it unique and create significant differences in wine styles among its vineyards and sub-AVAs. The iron-rich, basalt-based, Jory volcanic soils found commonly in the Dundee Hills are rich in clay and hold water well; the chalky, sedimentary soils of Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton and McMinnville encourage complex root systems as vines struggle to search for water and minerals. In the most southern stretch of the Willamette, the Eola-Amity Hills sub-AVA soils are mixed, shallow and well-drained. The Hills' close proximity to the Van Duzer Corridor (which became its own appellation as of 2019) also creates grapes with great concentration and firm acidity, leading to wines that perfectly express both power and grace.
Though Pinot noir enjoys the limelight here, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay also thrive in the Willamette. Increasing curiosity has risen recently in the potential of others like Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc and Gamay.