Winemaker Notes
A consistently well-crafted Pinot Noir at a great price point, the 2018 vintage of the “Red Cap” is no exception. The favorable growing season offered lovely fruit and resulted in wine with classically Oregon aromas and flavors. Wafts of wet earth, blackberry jam, dark plum and a hint of vanilla swirl forth from this garnet-hued beauty. A mouthful of black cherry, loganberry, pomegranate, and a touch of smokiness linger endlessly on a nicely structured foundation of sturdy tannin and judicious acidity. Definitely age-worthy, but ready to drink now.
This Pinot Noir offers so much and the quality belies its price point. This versatile Pinot Noir is extremely approachable with notes of cherries, berries and baking spices. A great bottle to grab for a picnic, barbecue, or for sipping while you’re cooking dinner. Pinot is meant to enjoy with food and the possibilities are endless, from salmon, to lamb, from mushroom burgers to charcuterie. It’s a smooth, every day wine that dresses up even the drabbest Monday.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A gently reductive edge to the abundant, rich red fruit with a spicy edge, as well as grilled-meat and tarry notes. The palate has a fresh core of blue fruit with dusty tannin texture, holding long, fresh-fruit flavors. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
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Wine Spectator
Plump, with easygoing raspberry and black cherry flavors, accented by brooding cinnamon and orange-tinged tea notes. Finishes with lively tannins. Drink now through 2025. 25,400 cases made.
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.