Winemaker Notes
Holding a very intense red color, this wine’s first impression of vanilla and mocha is followed by the flavor of rich strawberry jam. The earthy undertone, typical to Domaine Danielle Laurent, with mushrooms and forest floor are present and mix elegantly with the fruit. Expressive, with a big, opulent mouth feel, that is both long and rich, this wine captures the essence of brilliance and vivacity.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This offers an attractive, fresh array of baking spices and a sleek, building, tannin base that lifts ripe red cherries with a succulent, juicy finish. Fresh and energetic. Try from 2022.
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Wine Enthusiast
Though this wine is still quite young, all the right components for improvement are in place and in balance. Pretty rose petal and raspberry aromas lead into a palate fresh with tart cherry and raspberry jam. The acidity puts a lemony zing to the finish, and the use of new oak has been pulled way back, down to just 10% over 11 months.
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Wine Spectator
Distinctively savory, this layers in personality and structure, with black raspberry, underbrush and black tea flavors that build tannins toward a slightly tight finish. Best from 2020 through 2026.
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.