Pinot Noirs Not to Miss
Pinot Noir Not to Miss – This popular red grape originated in Burgundy but has spread across the New World.
Like its white Burgundian counterpart Chardonnay, Pinot Noir is early-budding, early-ripening and thin-skinned.
The sites where it tends to thrive can experience tough growing conditions, which lead to more rigorous fruit selection and lower yields.
This is one of the reasons that high-quality Pinot Noir often carries a higher price tag than other wines.
2021 Beaux Freres Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Oregon
Price $70
93 points
Beaux Freres 2021 Willamette Valley cuvée is a complex blend of some of the very best vineyards in all of Oregon including: Star Mooring, Zena Crown, Sequitur, Gran Moraine, Jessie James and Beaux Freres.
Wild and vibrant nose of rosemary, cherry stones, small strawberries, violets and seaweed.
So fresh, with a medium body and powdery tannins. I like the persistent fine, chalky texture.
Unfined and unfiltered.
Pinot Noirs Not to Miss – 2019 Paul Hobbs Goldrock Estate Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast CA
Price $90
95 Points
Located on a coastal ridge just five miles from the Pacific Ocean, the remote site yields a bright, vibrant ruby wine with fragrant aromas of red tart cherry, strawberry, and floral.
Expressive on the palate, this vintage exudes red tea, spice, red clay, and sea salt, and exhibits creamy yet good tension framed by fine-grained tannins and an elegant finish.
The Pinot Noir Goldrock Estate, matured in 30% new oak, is a touch muted on the nose and takes time to reveal red cherries, raspberries, blood orange and potpourri.
The medium-bodied palate is soft and juicy with a concentrated core of red berry fruit and pleasant herbal undertones on the long finish
2021 Purple Hands Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton District WA
Price $65
93 Points
Shea Vineyard drapes over 140 acres of rolling hills in the Willamette Valley’s Yamhill-Carlton AVA.
Dick Shea first planted the Back Block in 1989 and then replanted it in the mid-90s to eliminate the problem of phylloxera, a microscopic insect that feeds on grapevine roots.
This fruit is some of the most coveted in the state.
Cody sources from the highest elevation Shea block.
The 2021 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard is powerful yet elegant and will reward cellaring.
Medium ruby in color, it takes time to unfurl from pomegranate, blood orange and blackberries to finer nuances of lavender, aniseed, tar and mossy bark.
Medium-bodied, the palate explodes with generous layers of fruit.
It has finely grained tannins, mouthwatering acidity and a very long, fragrant finish with a flourish of spicy accents.
Pinot Noirs Not to Miss – 2018 Failla Seven Springs Vineyard Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills CA
Price $60
Points 93
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.
Darkly fruity, this brings blackberry, cherry and chocolate flavors front and center, annotated with a vein of savory earth.
The vineyard is in the newly-christened Van Duzer Corridor AVA, and the cool site and relatively high elevation brings grace notes of truffle and pepper into play.
This will reward extra aeration and a bit of extra attention.
2021 Wayfarer The Estate Pinot Noir from Fort Ross-Seaview Sonoma Coast CA
Price $95
Points 93
The 2021 Pinot Noir The Estate (previously labeled “Pinot Noir Wayfarer Vineyard”) has inviting aromas of cranberry sauce, mushroom, allspice and bitters.
The palate’s concentrated, nuanced fruit is structured by focused acidity and generous, powdery tannins, and it finishes with a flourish of spicy accents.
It’s drinking beautifully now and will develop savory complexity in bottle over the next decade.
Pinot Noirs Not to Miss – 2020 Occidental-Kistler Vineyards ‘Freestone-Occidental’ Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast CA
Price $75
Points 95
Steve Kistler’s namesake winery became synonymous with California Chardonnay decades ago.
Since founding Occidental in 2011, he has become known for California Pinot Noir.
With his daughter Catherine, Kistler farms 65 acres of Pinot Noir vines around their newest winery, in the recently created West Sonoma Coast AVA.
Kistler’s parcels typify the extreme nature of this developing viticultural area—near the coast, high elevation, blanketed with morning fog and buffeted by afternoon winds.
All of that results in yields generally in the skimpy 2 tons per acre range.
The resulting wines, however, are anything but skimpy.
This bottling brims with pure blackberry and black cherry fruit, enlivened by a light savory note, while an underlying mineral edge adds subtle tension throughout.
Boasts blackberry and plum fruit enlivened by a light savory thread, while anise and iris notes add range through the sleek, tangy finish.
Shows a nice underlying mineral edge, which adds subtle tension throughout.
2019 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Pinot Noir Willamette Valley WA
Price $100
Points 93
A brilliant ruby red color, the 2019 Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir expresses aromas of dark dried cherries, pink peppercorn, and saddle leather on the nose.
On the palate, layers of composed tannins and savory characters of cherrywood, ground sage and dried shiitake mushrooms reveal themselves, leading to an acidic finish that lingers with soft and silky tannins.
This Pinot Noir is beautiful on release and will age gracefully in the cellar for years to come.
Pinot Noirs Not to Miss
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.
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