Winemaker Notes
North Valley Pinot Noir sees less new oak than the flagship wines. It is made in a more accessible and versatile format that will give pleasure early and over the medium term. The wine features notes of orange blossoms, cranberries, blackberries, sweet cream, cocoa, minerals, and has a markedly silky and supple mouthfeel. Long and lush, the wine leaves big, thick tears in the glass and its soft entry invites sip after sip. Pour this wine alongside its peers at the same price - you’ll be taken in by its winsome charms and remarkable price/quality rapport. Better yet, pour it against your favorite single-vineyard Oregon Pinot, and understand why North Valley is already featured at some of the finest restaurants in the country.
The Classic Pinot Noir is exactly what the name suggests. It is a standard of excellence and recognized value year after year. Not only does it favorably reflect the vintage, it also captures the aromatic interest, texture and persistence that the winery loves in North Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. The components for this wine are ample, persistent on the palate and display remarkable purity. These lots are enhanced by a modest amount of new oak and carefully selected previously filled French oak barrels. Typically these wines have been fermented in small, open top fermenters and depending on the vineyard they may include whole cluster ferments. The wine is assembled after about 10 moths in barrels and bottled right before the next harvest.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Notes of cocoa-dusted cherries, ripe raspberries, licorice and moist earth. Juicy and succulent on the palate with medium body and firm tannins. Delicious dark cherries with toasty, spiced character to close.
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Wine Enthusiast
An interesting aromatic combination of blackberries, Orange Curaçao, wet rocks and a trace of bacon fat commands attention. The mediumbodied wine’s blueberry, oregano and strong black tea flavors are supported by fine-grained tannins and a decent bit of acidity.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and zesty, with fruit-forward raspberry, tea leaf and spice flavors that speed toward the sleek finish. Drink now through 2030. 200 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.