Winemaker Notes
The profoundly delicate Pinot Noir finds a rare and superlative home in the northern hills of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. This is the former floor of the Pacific Ocean, holding marine sediment deposited over millennia amongst a tangled maze of creases and folds in the Earth. The vines planted here exhibit a diverse range of intense expressions…Pinot Noir that embodies the essence of that magical marriage of site and grape which us back to explore it again and again.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An attractive array of earthy red-cherry and berry aromas that lead to a very plush, fluid and smoothly rendered palate that offers immediate appeal and plenty of flavor.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Starting with the appellation release, the 2017 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley offers a savory, spicy, medium-bodied style as well as loads of mulled red fruits, dried herbs, and dried flowers. It’s nicely balanced, has outstanding complexity, and is going to drink nicely for 7-8 years with no issues. It would be a great introduction to the style of the Sunu wines.
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.