Winemaker Notes
The Reserve is an expression of the highest-quality Pinot Noir from each vintage. Grapes from Montinore's best estate growing sites are fermented and aged separately and assembled after maturation. The 2015 Reserve includes wine from three of the vineyard's most notable blocks: Graham's, Parsons' and Cataclysm.
A blend of fruits, herbs and spice offer the aromatic prelude, revealing scents of Italian plum, cherry cordial, fresh tobacco leaf, cedar and sage. A silky-smooth palate yields an abundance of wild Oregon berries, red plum, hints of leather and warm baking spice. Balanced interplay between tannin and acid provides a polished, satisfying finish.
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.