Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Bright aromas of wild strawberries, cassia bark, citrus peel and earth. The palate is medium-bodied with finely integrated tannins and focused acidity, giving notes of blackberries, spices, dried herbs and violets. Very pure with a savory undertone. Drink or hold.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Using fruit from 10 different vineyards, this wine offers quite the cross-section of the Willamette Valley. Its dark cherry and violet aromas are accented by wisps of sage and marjoram. Lemony acidity outshines velvety tannins, as flavors like blackberries, dark chocolate, and black tea feel like they are zipping across the palate. Buy this wine for a snapshot of the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir scene.
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.