Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Stunningly good for an entry-level Pinot Noir, this new Tavola gets the sort of care generally reserved for reserves. Native yeast fermentation and almost a year in 20% new French oak is where it starts; then a barrel selection is made and it's bottled unfined and unfiltered. Deep flavors emphasize black fruits, with a dash of pepper highlighting the finish.
Editors’ Choice -
Wine & Spirits
Ponzi’s table wine, Tavola, has a prominent caramel scent of oak that obscures its mint-edged freshness. It may smell oak-forward, but it doesn’t taste predominantly of oak; rather, it lasts on a tart burst of red cherry flavor held in a pleasant middleweight texture that overdelivers for the price.
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.