Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Rex Hill Willamette Valley Pinot Noir offers a complex flavor profile that is both approachable and nuanced. On the nose, ripe red cherry and juicy raspberry dominate, along with a subtle hint of pine tips adding freshness to the aroma. The scent of wet ferrous soil brings a sense of terroir while brambly black berries, black tea leaves and sweet tobacco layer in depth and complexity. The palate keeps the promise of the nose, adding dimension with fine and round tannins. Subtle notes of vanilla bean grace the finish.
Pair with filet mignon with mushroom sauce and BBQ chicken.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Sleek and expressive, with vibrant cherry and pomegranate flavors that take on rose petal and spiced tea accents as this builds richness toward medium-grained tannins.
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James Suckling
Plenty of fruit with strawberries, crushed raspberries, cherries and some grilled herbs. Medium-bodied with silky tannins. Round, juicy and fruity, with such a delicate touch on the palate. Smooth and well balanced with a delicious finish.
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Vinous
The 2021 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley opens in the glass with an alluring bouquet: steeped plums, sage and ashen stones. This juicy, soothing effort has a core of brisk acidity enlivening its wild berry fruits. Sweet herbs combine with savory spice through the long and refreshing finale as hints of fine tannin add youthful poise.
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Wine Enthusiast
Blackcap raspberry and orange-peel aromas arrive first, followed by earthy notes of oregano, rosemary and wet cedar bark. This is a medium-bodied Pinot Noir, where the moderate acidity and grippy tannins support damson plum, strawberry and cinnamon flavors. Try it with a pork bánh mì sandwich.
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.