Winemaker Notes
Beautiful bright ruby, brilliant and pale at the edge. Evolved and high-pitched aromas of dried cherry, orange peel, mixed red fruits and just-turned earth lifted by a wisp of rose petal hint at what’s to come. A round and pliant entry opens to black cherry cola, bright cranberry, and, with hints of black licorice and iron. Light on its’ feet but no shortage on intensity, this is very well balanced with a seamless and elegant texture and a juicy framework of acidity that carries persistent flavors to a long finish. This 2018 will develop gracefully.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a very concentrated and intense pinot that has been built around ripe yet fresh red cherry-toned fruit. The aromas and flavors are fresh and right in the red-berry and cherry zone. The palate has a bold, rounded style.
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Vinous
Bright ruby. Pungent, finely etched cherry and dark berry scents pick up suggestions of pipe tobacco, baking spices and cola with air. In an ample and yet energetic style, offering sweet cherry pie, black raspberry and spicecake flavors that unfurl slowly through the back half. Dusty tannins add grip to the long, focused finish, which strongly echoes the berry and spice notes.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a full-throttle wine with muscular fruit and tannins that grab hold of the palate and don't let go. There's a seam of funky earth underlying ripe blackberry and black cherry fruits. A wash of espresso comes over the palate as the flavors linger on through a finish dusted with coffee. The wine was aged in 30% new oak.
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Wine Spectator
Savory and Burgundian in style, with distinct underbrush impressions along with raspberry, plum and summer savory notes that build richness toward the steely finish. Drink now through 2030.
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.