Winemaker Notes
Deep garnet, spicy bramble mixed with exotic dark fruits and a touch of earthiness. Round and lithe across the palate, Asian spices, dark fruits and tart cherry flavors are abundant in a balanced but taut frame, with hints of plum mingled with cocoa. The persistence on the finish is quite elevated, supported by fine tannins and mouthwatering acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Handsomely structured and showing simmering intensity framed by dark raspberry and blueberry flavors, with dusky spice and fresh forest floor accents. Finishes with medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2034.
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James Suckling
Fruit-forward and fresh, this pinot bursts with red and blue fruit, violets, orange peel and crushed stones. The medium-bodied palate is clean and vibrant, with vivid acidity driving the juicy, refreshing finish.
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Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir Eola Amity Hills bursts from the glass with an explosive bouquet of crushed blackberries, sweet herbs, stone dust and spice. Juicy to the core, it reveals depths of tart blackberry and wild berry fruits driven by lively acidity. Chalky mineral tones swirl throughout. The finish is pleasantly chewy, with nuances of licorice and admirable length and staining concentration.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.