Winemaker Notes
The nature of this vintage is to thrill. Estate Pinot Noir 2023 has a very lifted aromatic nose with roses, spices of clove and cinnamon, black cardamon, pomegranate and crushed rock. On the palate the fresh pomegranate, raspberry, undertones of black cherry and tea notes with a savory herb element and bright pomegranate finish which has great length. It is very fresh, well defined with many layers and unfolds slowly on the palate. The finish is mulberry and red current, with a light vanilla richness at the edges. The wine gains richness as it evolves in the glass but never loses its energy and excitement.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Compelling aromas of bright red fruit, spices, wild blackberries and blueberries and freshly turned soil. This is a really pretty, medium-bodied wine with flavors of fresh raspberries and dried cherries. Some delicate minerality and rose petals on the palate as well.
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Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir Estate is dusty and floral, with nuances of crushed violet and lavender, blackberries and a hint of licorice. Silken in feel, it reveals depths of ripe red and blue fruits that swirl across a stream of cooling acidity as crunchy tannins form toward the close. Structure defines the finish, with a spicy tinge and a twang of citrus that puckers the cheeks under an air of rosy inner florals.
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Wine Spectator
A spirited yet graceful red, featuring tiers of cherry, pomegranate, green tea and stony mineral accents that build tension toward steely tannins.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Matured in 23% new French oak, the 2023 Pinot Noir Estate has open-knit aromas of wild berries, orange peel, forest floor and flint. The medium-bodied palate is concentrated and nuanced with fine, chalky tannins, bright acidity and a long, spicy finish.
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.