Winemaker Notes
Expressive black cherry, black tea, and forest floor aromas expose polished and poised dark raspberry, bitter chocolate, and spice flavors that finish with our region’s minerality and mild tannin. Cali’s Cuvée is versatile and exceedingly food-friendly. A perfect match for anything from the grill, including salmon, pork chops, and hamburgers, this Pinot also pairs beautifully with roast chicken, root vegetables, and is just as perfect on its own.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Left Coast Cali's Cuvée Pinot Noir is true-to-type and appealing. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows aromas and flavors of earth, dried leather, and black fruit. Pair it with grilled lamb chops. (Tasted: April 8, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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Tasting Panel
Medium ruby colour with a silky texture; notes of fresh, earthy cherry; and good acid structure. Juicy and tangy with a lengthy finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Production is up and quality consistent for this palate-pleasing wine. Flavors of raspberry and pomegranate anchor a wellbalanced palate alongside details of dried tea and tobacco leaves. Aged in 15% new French oak, it finishes with lightly grainy but moderate tannins.
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.