Winemaker Notes
The mouth-feel is round and velvety with great concentration emphasizing the Willakenzie terroir. We feel the wine will continue to gain finesse with aging. The Aliette expresses the intense but ripe tannins of the vintage with subtlety and elegance, and it will continue to improve with further cellaring. Drink now or in 2-5 years.
"From the estate's oldest vines (1992 Pommard clone), the similarly-colored 2000 Pinot Noir Aliette reveals sweet black cherry aromas. It exhibits loads of intensity in its deep, concentrated, medium-bodied character. Blackberries, black currants, and dark cherries can be found in its highly structured core. Projected maturity: 2005-2010."
-The Wine Advocate
Professional Ratings
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.