Winemaker Notes
The first Pinot noir I made at St. Innocent was produced from vines at this vineyard. That was the 1988 Pinot noir, Willamette Valley. The 1988, 1989, and 1990 vintages set very little Pinot noir fruit. In 1988 and 1989, the fruit from Anden (then called Seven Springs) was blended with Pinot noir from other sites to produce the 1988 and 1989 Reserve Pinot noirs. There was just not enough grapes to make a single vineyard wine. 1990 was the first vintage of vineyard designated Seven Springs (from what is now the Anden block).
A new planting at Seven Springs, commisioned by St. Innocent, came into production in 1991. Those young vines were blended with the original block to produce the 1991 Pinot noir, Seven Springs. These two blocks were blended together for each St. Innocent vineyard designated wine through the 2000 vintage. St. Innocent was the ONLY winery with Pinot noir made from a blend of both blocks.
The owners of Seven Springs divided the vineyard in 2001. The older, original block, sited lower on the hill, became Anden Vineyard. The upper block, which came into production in 1991, continued to be called Seven Springs.
The older vines bring greater structure to the 2002 Pinot noir, Anden Vineyard. Wild, black fruit, spice, and pepper aromas are reflected onto the palate. The tannins are substantial and are in harmony with the powerful fruit.
The 2002 Pinot noir, Anden Vineyard was not released with the other fall wines. I felt that its richer structure would benefit from several more months of bottle age. When I was visited by Pierre Rovani of THE WINE ADVOCATE, I did not show the wine, thus it was not included in the review.
I believe that the '01 and '02 Pinot noir, Seven Springs closely resemble the previous Seven Springs vineyard wines. The 2002 Pinot noir, Anden reflects a different terroir - one with more intensity and wildness. The Anden vineyard wines will certainly benefit from extended aging and will improve for at least 12 years.
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.