Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Scott Shull (Raptor Ridge) makes this cuvée for Le Cadeau, and it's a triumph in this vintage. Cherry fruit ripe to the point of syrup hogs the flavor spotlight, but there's cranberry and raspberry too, putting a tangy note into the mix. Root beer and sweet cola elements combine, and there is little doubt that, good as it is already, this is a wine to cellar. Drink now–2028.
Cellar Selection
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.