Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Orchard Block Pinot Noir has notes of tobacco, pomegranate, raspberry and black cherry on the nose, as well as a subtle hint of chanterelle and nutmeg. On the palate, pomegranate and raspberry shine through with red cherries and a subtle dash of clove. A delicate Pinot Noir, the 2018 Orchard Block has lower tannins and brighter acidity.
This wine pairs with creamy dishes such as Cacio e Pepe and mushroom dishes like wild mushroom risotto or roasted cauliflower with truffles.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plenty of raspberries, sliced strawberries, dried flowers and spices. Medium-bodied with creamy tannins and bright acidity. Juicy and spicy on the palate with a vibrant, flavorful finish. Energetic. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Harmonious and sleek, with layered cherry and pomegranate flavors accented by spiced cinnamon and orange peel notes. Drink now.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Home of the first Pinot noir vineyard of the Willamette Valley, planted by David Lett of Eyrie Vineyard in 1966, today the Dundee Hills AVA remains the most densely planted AVA in the valley (and state). To its north sits the Chehalem Valley and to its south, runs the Willamette River. Within the region’s 12,500 acres, about 1,700 are planted to vine on predominantly basalt-based, volcanic, Jory soil.