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
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Wine Enthusiast
At first, the only noticeable aroma involves ripe blackberries. With a few swirls of the glass, however, subtle notes of lavender and fresh hay emerge. With lemony acidity and a smooth, silky texture, this wine is quite easy to sip and enjoy the sweet blackberry and black tea flavors. The wine is built for instant gratification at a reasonable price.
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.