Winemaker Notes
This is a big, bold Pinot Noir that opens with bright, uplifting aromatics of raspberry, cranberry, marionberry and some leather, orange zest, rose and caramel. This wine does not wait to develop on the palate – rather, it opens robustly with a rush of dark fruit and delicious cocoa notes. Initial flavors of black cherry, raspberry, cocoa and red plum are joined by juniper berries, forest floor, clove, spice, cedar and tobacco. The flavors continue to linger through a satisfying finish.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Layered and expressive, this wine unfolds with ripe red berries, subtle spices, iodine and a hint of chocolate orange. The medium-bodied palate is filled with juicy fruit, driven by racy acidity that adds both depth and tension. Long, refined finish with complexity and energy.
-
Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir Inscription is spicy, with an intense mix of cedar box and incense complementing dusty rose and dried strawberries. Juicy and energetic within, it offers soft textures and vibrantly ripe wild berry fruits that cascade throughout. The finish tapers off with medium length and leaves a pleasantly tart twang.
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.