St. Innocent Freedom Hill Pinot Noir 2008

  • 93 Wine &
    Spirits
  • 91 Robert
    Parker
  • 90 Wine
    Spectator
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St. Innocent Freedom Hill Pinot Noir 2008 Front Label
St. Innocent Freedom Hill Pinot Noir 2008 Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2008

Size
750ML

ABV
13.5%

Features
Boutique

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Freedom Hill Vineyard produces Pinot noirs with structure, depth, and richness as well as a strong sense of minerality. The site is relatively warm from daytime heat that rises up the large, flat valley below. This develops rich skin tannins. Because of its proximity to Oregon Coast range -it is on the edge of the Coast Range of mountains- the vineyard is quite cool at night. This maintains good acidity in the wine. This combination of tannin and acidity produces Pinot noir with great structure. Capturing that intensity and revealing the nuances of the terroir (clay-like earthiness, dried flowers, dark spices) without excess tannins is the key to making great Freedom Hill.

The 2008 has red and black cherry aromas with dark floral, ground spices, pepper and a strong undercurrent of minerality. Dark red fruits on the palate and its signature clay-like earthiness, it finishes with a backbone of ripe tannins and balanced acidity. Perfect for that Porterhouse or T-bone as well as roasts and big pasta dishes. It is best if opened and decanted at least an hour before drinking. Given the ideal ripening conditions in 2008 and the inherent structure of this site, it will benefit from aging up to a decade.

Professional Ratings

  • 93
    With hints of mint and thyme adorning forward plum and black cherry scents, this stylish wine, from one of the Valley's oldest vineyards, has a savory core of flavor and a texture that suggests a low center of gravity. It has a fine balance of fruit and savory elements, the sort of balance that would pair with herb-roasted chicken.
  • 91
    The 2008 Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard is the first Vlossak has made since 2003 due to the replanting caused by phylloxera. It gives up aromas of pain grille, spice box, incense, black cherry, and black raspberry. Structured and a bit straightforward compared to its peers, even so it is a strong effort that will benefit from several years of additional bottle age.
    91+ points.
  • 90
    This tight red shows edgy tannins around a pulsing core of cassis and blackberry fruit, persisting into the long, savory finish. Best from 2012 through 2018

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St. Innocent

St. Innocent Winery

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St. Innocent Winery, Oregon
St. Innocent Winery Winery Image
St. Innocent Winery was founded in May 1988 by Mark Vlossak, the current winemaker and president, and eight investors. Ten tons of grapes were crushed the first fall, producing 396 cases of still and 176 cases of sparkling wine. Production increased to our full capacity of 6800 cases in 2004. The winery is located in Salem, Oregon, at the southeast corner of the Eola Hills, in the mid-Willamette valley.

St. Innocent produces small lot, handmade wines: seven single vineyard Pinot noirs and a blended Pinot noir called the Villages Cuvée, two Chardonnay from Dijon clone plantings, two Pinot gris, and a Pinot blanc.

The philosophy behind the winemaking at St Innocent is that the function of wine is to complement and extend the pleasure of a meal. The characteristics of a wine should enhance different food and flavor combinations - this interaction amplifies the pleasure of a meal. To this end, St. Innocent wines tend toward higher acid levels, and more diverse and balanced flavors.

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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.”

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Eola-Amity Hills Wine

Willamette Valley, Oregon

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Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.

Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.

EPC17152_2008 Item# 109410

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