Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Rex Hill Willamette Valley Pinot Noir opens with heady, ripe fruit notes of black cherry, raspberry, black plum, red currant and blackberry. Floral aromas arise of lavender and violet along with tomato leaf, rhubarb and peppercorn with a hint of French Oak. The palate has impressive structure, balance, and acidity, with integrated oak notes and red and black fruit flavors. While drinking well now, this is a Pinot Noir built for aging and will grow more complex over the next 15 to 20 years.
Pair with olive oil poached salmon, mushroom risotto, mild cheeses, grilled ahi, pumpkin ravioli, pork tenderloin, proscuitto, pizza with sausage and mushrooms.
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesA beautiful pinot that shows freshness and sophistication with aromas of blueberries, dark plums and hints of tangerines. I like the texture here. It has full body, polished tannins and a fresh and elegantly fine finish.
Shows precision and presence, with refined raspberry, black tea and forest floor accents that take on richness toward polished tannins.
Medium ruby, the 2016 Pinot Noir has a nose of spiced cranberry sauce, blackberry jam, loamy earth, cinnamon stick and red berry notes with touches of autumn leaves and licorice. Medium-bodied, it gives up loads of ripe, spiced fruits with a soft, grainy frame and juicy freshness, finishing long.
Most appealing right out of the bottle, this is absolutely loaded with sweet berries that burst from the glass. A seam of mocha permeates the fruit, with well-tempered herbal influences adding further complexity. It spent just 10 months in 29% new oak, and it’s good to go right away
REX HILL has been making elegant Pinot Noirs for over 30 years in the Willamette Valley at the gateway to Oregon's wine country. It is one of the original LIVE certified wineries and owned vineyards that are farmed following Biodynamic principles. REX HILL honors exceptional single vineyards and continues a legacy of singular Pinot Noirs that reflect their origin. That sense of place is paramount to the way we farm our land and make our wines. Named a 2017 Wine Advocate Extraordinary Winery in the Americas, REX HILL consistently offers authentic wines that are balanced, complex, rich and delicious.
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.