Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Pretty scents of rosewater, raspberries and cherries introduce this light and pleasing wine. It carries some of the charm of a good strawberry soda, with forward fruit and a delicate frame. That said, it is not just a simple fruity wine, and gains weight and complexity as it breathes. Give it time to show you all it has. Editors' Choice.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Pinot Noir La Paulée comes from the Maresh Vineyard that is biodynamically farmed. Aged in French oak for ten months, it has a sophisticated bouquet with vibrant redcurrant and raspberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well-judged acidity and an elegant red plum/mulberry finish. Though not in the same class as the Audrey Pinot Noir, this still represent outstanding value for money.
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.