Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The appellation 2018 Pinot Noir Sunu saw plenty of stems (60%) and 16 months in 30% new French oak. It reveals a lighter ruby hue as well as a spicy, savory nose of mulled red fruits, dried flowers, and baking herbs. Silky, medium-bodied, and seamless on the palate, it may be the entry level wine here, but I love its charm and balance.
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James Suckling
Aromas of raspberries, red plums, chocolate orange and spice box. Medium-bodied with sleek tannins and fresh acidity. Juicy and silky with a spiced core of berry fruit. Flavorful finish with excellent length.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir has a pale ruby color and a nose of black cherries, earth, iron and tobacco leaves. The medium-bodied palate has a firm, grainy frame and earth-laced flavors, finishing with a spicy touch.
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.