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This mountain grown wine shows expresses ripe fruits of the warm days and the acid balance from the cool nights. Vibrant fruit aromas of blueberry, raspberry, and plum are the hallmarks of the aromatics along with a subtle cedar/cigar box note. These aromatics lead into voluptuous flavors of berries and spice in this structured, yet lively Pinot Noir.

In the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County the local residents speak an obscure dialect of English known as Boontling, developed in the late 1800s. The “Muldune Trail” was a term used in Anderson Valley lore o¬en describing the road traversing the ridge to Ukiah. There are other definitions of hitting the “Muldune Trail” that we will leave to the drinker to discover!

Review:

Pouring a deep ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir Muldune Trail is more extracted with kirsch, polished leather, lavender, and pine. Full-bodied, this is the most powerful wine in this lineup, while having a luxurious feel, a velvety texture, and plushness throughout. Offering notes of turned soil and wooded earth, with meaty berry fruit and black tea, it’s a substantial wine but is well-made. Drink 2025-2040.

-Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points

Hartford Court Three Jacks Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay. 

The Three Jacks Vineyard Chardonnay exhibits aromas of lemon curd, orange marmalade, and brioche, with juicy flavors of pear, candied citrus peel, chamomile, and a rich, mineral-driven texture. The wine is full-bodied, weighty, and rich yet remarkably agile on its feet because of firm underlying acidity.

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 95 Points

J. Christopher Appassionata Fortissimo Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.

Inspired by the three movements of Beethoven’s “Appassionata” Piano Sonata, there are three Appassionata Pinot Noirs, released at different tempos.

The finale of the Appassionata Pinot Sonata is Fortissimo (dynamically forceful). Selected for ultimate expressivity and longevity, it is not released until 10 years after the vintage. This is the epitome of expressive excellence that we are seeking in Willamette Valley Pinot Noir – a wine that combines brooding intensity with lilting grace and can stand alongside the classic wines of the world. The 2012 Fortissimo is muscular and full-bodied, with a deep color and seamless structure. In this phase of maturation, tertiary aromas begin to show a profound complexity and subtle earthiness that only develops with bottle age and cannot be accelerated

Review:

Loosen Bros. and J. Christopher Wines just released the Fortissimo and it is showing great acidity and fine-grained tannins. Its aromas and flavors of sweet red cherries, roasted pork shoulder and orange-pekoe tea are alive and kicking. Enjoy 2023–2032.

-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points

Domaine Nico le Paradis Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

The cool climate vineyard that belongs to Laura and her sister Adrianna Catena feels like paradise itself to Laura. It is lined by trees and fruit orchards, with majestic views of the Andes. Inside the 12 Hectare vineyard, there is a little house with two tiny bedrooms and a kitchen, where Laura dreams of spending a whole month reading books-Laura's version of paradise. The little house is affectionately named Chateau Laura. About the Vineyard The tiny parcel where Le Paradis is grown was planted in 2011 with Dijon 667 Clones over two acres. Wine Production The grapes from this small parcel were elaborated in 15 separate microvinifications.

All the microvinifications were fermented with indigenous yeast. 20% of the microvinifications were fermented with 100% whole clusters in oak roll-fermentor of 600L and low temp (22 Celcius degrees). 40% were fermented with 20% whole cluster in small vats of 800L and 40% fermented in small vats of 800L without sulfites until 4%V/V of alcohol.

Review:

From soils rich in calcium carbonate and sand, in a vineyard 1,600 meters above sea level, this wine comes from a selection of 2.7 hectares that produced very little fruit in 2016, just barely enough to fill 800 bottles. But watch out for this white, with its edge, its minerality, those saline notes that are so characteristic of chardonnay from the chalky Gualtallary soils. The wine was aged for a year in used barrels, and it has some of the toast, but here it’s the deep minerality that dominates.

Patricio Tapia - Descorchados 96 Points

EnRoute Winery Les Pommiers Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

Aromas of fresh raspberry compote are complemented by notes of baking spice, and fresh rain on a forest floor. Generous-yet-soft strawberry preserve flavors expand on the palate, with elegant, silky tannins. A mouthwatering acidity glides across the finish.

 Review:

Vibrant ruby in color, this wine erupts from the glass with aromas of sweet cinnamon, cola and cherry. There is a charming delicacy here, with flavors of dried rose petal, cherry and berry pie filling on a midweight palate. A captivating dance between the snappy tannin structure and the lively acidity of this wine lead to a very pleasurable finish.

-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points

Toil Oregon Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

Dark garnet color. Seductive aromas of black tea, tobacco, and crushed tart cherry and blackberry. Faint notes of vanilla and toast accentuate dark plumb and cherry character. The palate is seamless with silky texture and long sweetness. Classic Oregon Pinot Noir from an outstanding vintage. So incredibly pleased to present the first Toil Oregon Pinot Noir that includes fruit from Toil Estate Vineyard! It is an understatement to say our estate fruit is an amazingly positive contributor to the final blend.

Review:

Young yet already showing layers of complexity, this opens with strawberry, raspberry and cranberry fruit, along with a whiff of smoke. It's well set up with ample acidity, and aging in one-third new French oak. Toil wines need a few years to reveal their full power, as tastings of past vintages show. Aerate this aggressively and drink with pleasure now into the 2030s

-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points 

Great structure meets a lush texture in this red, with cherry and raspberry flavors that gather bay leaf and dusky spice flavors toward medium-grain tannins. Drink now through 2029. 754 cases made. 

-Wine Spectator 93 Points

The Stone Corral Vineyard is planted on a southeast slope on the west side of the Edna Valley which has an east/west orientation opening up to the Pacific Ocean from Morro Bay and Pismo Beach. Approximately 120 to 300 feet above sea level, the climate is strongly influenced by the ocean providing ideal temperate growing conditions for Pinot Noir. Early spring warming, mild summer temperatures and late arriving cold fall temperatures and rain provide a long growing season for the development of rich color, concentrated and complex flavors. Soil profiles vary between blocks from sand, sandy loam, loamy sand, pebbly sandy clay loam, all fine angular blocky , including decomposing sandstone layers and numerous fossil rocks. The soils are well drained and marine in origin, resulting in an elegant Pinot Noir with extraordinary attributes.

This gem is a blend of a few precious, select barrels hailing from the finest blocks of Stone Corral Vineyard. Offers blue-toned fruit on the nose and a pretty bouquet of black raspberry, sandstone, marzipan and wild lupine flowers. Opulent, yet delicate on the palate, with velvety layers of cola nut, cherry, dried herbs and pecan sandie cookies.

Wine analysis – 13.7% Alcohol, .69 TA, 3.5pH

- A barrel select Stone Corral Vineyard bottling, utilizing the finest blocks and clones of the 2013 vintage
- Blend of clones 115, 777 and 667 on 101-14 and 3309 rootstalks
- Hand harvested, cold fruit from night picks during the month of September 2013
- Yield about 2 tons per acre between 23.8 and 24.5 ° Brix
- Destemmed with nearly 100 % whole berries remaining
- Fermented in small open top tanks
- 4 day cold soak, average 14 day fermentation, peak temperature 83°
- Hand punched down several times daily as needed
- Pressed off just dry, tank settled then racked to barrels
- Aged in small French oak barrels for 18 months
- Once the fresh wine is transferred from the press pan, all moving of the wine is done with inert gas pressure.
When handling the wine, care is taken at all opportunities to avoid shear.

"This bottling comes from the best blocks and barrels from this single vineyard, co-owned by a number of Edna Valley luminaries. The result is stunning, with baked raspberry, strawberry, maple, and peppery bacon aromas comprising a spicy, exotic nose. Black plum fruit melds with white pepper and crushed herbs, diving into tangy strawberry and sandalwood incense notes on the finish. - Matt Kettmann"
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine (April 1st 2017), 95 pts

Loring Cooper Jaxon Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir

Aged 10 Months in French Oak (15% New)

A special blend in honor of Cooper Jaxon Loring - the next generation of Loring. We don't limit the wine to any
specific AVA, but rather look for a blend that is big, bold, and super tasty!

Juicy and vibrant, with aromas of raspberry puree, blackberry and spring flowers.

Vines are planted on Arroyo Seco Sandy Loam soils on the following vineyard sites: Rancho La Viña, Kessler-Haak, Clos Pepe, John Sebastiano, Aubaine, Rosella's and Sierra Mar.
Vinification is traditionnal with minimal intervention.
Wine went thought Malo-Lactic fermentation and was bottled without filtration.

pH 3.61
Clones: Pisoni, 113, 115, 667, 777, 23

Pairs well with steak and lamb, spicy foods & mild cheeses.

Review:

"This fun and whimsical label from Brian Loring delivers his rich style of Pinot Noir at an affordable price, offering aromas of black cherry, forest herbs, damp sage and crushed slate. The palate is earthy, offering flavors of dark berry, fennel frond, roasted meat and clove. Matt Kettmann"
- Wine Enthusiast (June 2019), 92 pts - Editors' Choice

Morlet Family Vineyards Coteaux Nobles Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

Very intense raspberry and kirsch flavors with earthy notes (graphite), rich, round and seamless with a very fruity lingering finish. Will age gracefully for a decade.

Located on the Sonoma Coast, on the Eastern slope of the second ridge from the Pacific Ocean, this unique hillside vineyard benefits from both the cool maritime breeze and the mild and sunny mountain climate. Handcrafted by using classical Burgundian techniques, it is the ‘Noble Hillsides’ or ‘Côteaux Nobles.’

Reviews:

 
The Coteaux Nobles Pinot Noir comes from 28-year-old vines planted at the Nobles Ranch vineyard in Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. A barrel sample, the pale to medium ruby-purple colored 2019 Pinot Noir Coteaux Nobles slips sensuously out of the glass with a provocative perfume of red currant jelly, raspberry preserves and rhubarb crumble with suggestions of violets and fallen leaves plus a waft of mossy tree bark. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with juicy red berry layers, supported by plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a lingering earthy note

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 94-96 Points

Dairyman Vineyard is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

Dark plum in color with abundant aromas of dark chocolate, black cherry, and sun-ripened blackberry with a hint of cedar. Layered flavors of blackberry and raspberry pie filling, accompanied by notes of cinnamon, chocolate, and nutmeg play on the palate. Smooth and focused with refined tannins and a medium finish.

Review:

This inky-purple wine exudes aromas of spiced cranberry. Deep and luxurious on the palate, with black cherry, chocolate, and 'sarsaparilla converging to complement the round, silky mouthfeel. The savory core of beetroot, plum, and bal- samic lends a shadowed touch to the fine acid structure. Blueberry breaks through on the cinnamon-charmed finish.

-Tasting Panel 94 Points

The 2017 was a very different year to 2016 in terms of the viticultural conditions and it was interesting to watch the progression of the wine and scrutinize its quality as it developed over its first two winters. Whereas 2016 had a very mild winter and exceptionally hot summer, this was compensated by abundant winter and spring rainfall. Conversely, 2017 was warm and drythroughout, although summer temperatures were closer to average, whichproved to be a very significant factor allowing for complete, balancedripening.

It is rare to see such tremendous depth and intensity in color as this winedisplays. The freshness of the floral aromas is very attractive with adominance of rockrose, a flower that grows wild around the hills of Senhorada Ribeira. On the palate, it is exceptionally full-bodied, rich andpowerful with black fruit coming to the fore. Gorgeous, ripe fruit isbalanced by the fine tannin structure. On the finish, it is typically Dow,austere and somewhat drier than many other ports. The intense fruit flavors linger long on the palate.

Dow’s Vintage Ports are only produced in years of exceptional quality and represent only a very small part of the total company’s production in that year. On average only two or three times every ten years are the weather conditions sufficiently good to allow for the making of Dow’s Vintage Port.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Dow’s Vintage Ports have been landmark wines in virtually every great year, consistently setting the standards amongst all Port houses. Vintage Ports such as the remarkable Dow 1896, the 1927, 1945, 1955, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1980 and the Dow 1994 are all legends in the history of this great wine. These Ports are still magnificent today, even when 50 or over 100 years old. Few wines can claim this quality and this pedigree.

Dow's Vintage Ports are drawn from the companies' finest vineyards; Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta de Senhora da Ribeira. Each property contributes to the Dow’s unique and distinctive style. When young, Dow’s Vintage Ports are purple-black, austere, complex and intensely concentrated, full-bodied and balanced with very fine peppery tannins.

Over the centuries, the Dow winemakers have evolved a style that suits the house’s key vineyards; fermentations are a little longer, resulting in a drier Port Wine that has become the hallmark of Dow’s. Abundant fruit flavours with hints of ripe blackberries, give elegance and poise to Dow’s. The nose is deep and powerful with strong overtones of violets when young, these mature into fine cinnamon and rose-tea aromas with age. The very high percentage of Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional planted on the vineyards result in the powerful structure and aging potential of Dow’s Vintage Ports

Dow’s Ports avoid an over-rich style and requires a very high degree of skill in wine making and great experience in selecting the finest wines of each year and each vineyard. These wines are aged in seasoned oak casks for some 18 months and are bottled without any filtration or fining whatsoever.

Dow Vintage Ports can be enjoyed when vibrant and young or they can be allowed to age for many years in bottle into a soft and delicate wine of velvet-like elegance.

In the 1920’s, the celebrated Oxford Professor George Saintsbury underlined Dow’s outstanding reputation when he wrote in his famous ‘Notes on a Cellarbook’ (first published in 1920), “There is no shipper’s wine that I have found better than the best of Dow’s 1878 and 1890 especially.”

James Suckling, one of today’s leading authorities on Vintage Port was equally impressed by another legendary wine - the Dow’s 1896 - “The ancient {1896} Port still had an amazing ruby colour with a garnet edge, and it smelled of raisins, black pepper and berries. It was full-bodied, with masses of fruit intertwined with layers of velvety tannins. It was superb.” In 1998, when this wine was 102 years old, he awarded this Port an exceptional 98 points.

Review:

Based on fruit from the predominantly south-facing Quinta do Bomfim in the Cima Corgo and Quinta Senhora da Ribeira in the Douro Superior, with Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca making up 80% of the blend. This is opaque and closed in but powerfully ripe with underlying pure berry fruit. It's seemingly quite introverted compared to some of its peers at this stage, but it's still full, rich and opulent on the palate. It also shows the latent power of the vintage, made as it is in a slightly drier style (3.4 Baumé), with lovely minty fruit and full, ripe sinewy tannins all the way through the finish. Long and lithe, and very fine.

-Decanter 97 Points

A dense, thickly textured version, dripping with warm salted licorice, tar and açaí paste notes, while plum and blueberry pâte de fruit, chai spice and chocolate elements fill in behind. Lots of brambly grip flows underneath. Shows a very sappy feel on the finish. Best from 2035 through 2055. 5,250 cases made, 1,092 cases imported

-Wine Spectator 96 Points

Fullerton Lichtenwalter Pinot Noir  is made from 100% Pinot Noir - 10 years old

12 months in 100% neutral French Oak

On the western slope of the south-facing Ribbon Ridge sits the lovely Lichtenwalter Vineyard. Here Willakenzie soils, derived from ancient sedimentary seabed, coax black fruits and concentrated spices out of the wines. 

Aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry, blackberry, and black cherry with concentrated spices followed by hints of sandalwood, smoke and oolong tea. Depth in the mid-palate pairs with balanced acidity, and so, yet structured tannins. The Willamee Valley’s smallest AVA speaks clearly and compellingly through this wine.

This wine comes from 100% destemmed rotator barrels fermented at ambient temperature reaching a peak temperature of 73° F. The rotator barrel spun twice daily during fermentation yielding a gentle extraction. Aer fermentation, the wine went through a three-week extended maceration, allowing the tannins to polymerize, soening the wine. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels and three months in tank, the wine was then boled aer filtration.

Review:

"Deep, brilliant red. Smoke-accented cherry, blackberry and violet scents show very good clarity and pick up a hint of spiciness with air. Chewy and focused on the palate, offering appealingly sweet dark berry and spicecake flavors that are braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Dusty tannins build steadily on an impressively long, penetrating finish that strongly echoes the cherry and floral notes. (all de-stemmed fruit and all neutral French oak, made entirely from the 777 Dijon clone°. - Josh Raynolds"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (June 2019), 92 pts

In 1996, building on their tradition of excellence established at Duckhorn Vineyards, and their growing love of Pinot Noir, Dan and Margaret Duckhorn came to Anderson Valley to found Goldeneye. Anderson Valley has since earned acclaim as one of the world’s greatest Pinot Noir regions. Representing the pinnacle of our winemaking portfolio, Ten Degrees is made from only our finest lots, making it a Pinot Noir of unparalleled grace and grandeur.

Reviews:

From the best lots on the Golden- eye Estate, this wine aged in French oak for 16 months. Scents of wild cherry and sage are off the charts. Undeniable vibrancy, generous fruit, and floral notes create a mael- strom of flavor and texture that complements the wine's intensely high energy. Earthy, salty notes manifest in a kiss of soil, balsamic, cinnamon, and cedar.

-Tasting Panel 96 Points

A beautiful blend of the best barrels of all the single vineyards and it shows wonderful complexity and thoughtfulness. Layered and complete, giving you so much flavor and deliciousness.

-James Suckling 96 Points

Kershaw Smugglers Boot Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir made from French clones PN667, PN115 and PN113.

The name derives from the time of trade embargoes in South Africa when growers & winemakers smuggled grapevine material into the country by hiding the cuttings in Wellington boots. The Smuggler’s Boot range celebrates that ingenuity.

Attractive strawberry, savory and star anise spice linger on the nose. Juicy and sumptuous on the mid palate with breadth of flavor offset by a nimbleness of fresh acidity, friable tannins and sinuous mouthfeel, this Pinot unwraps to earthy, fennel, chocolate and a hint of incense to a long supple finish.

Handpicked grapes were first bunch sorted on a conveyor before the stems were removed and the destemmed berries sorted to remove jacks and substandard berries. After a 3-day maceration in 500kg open-topped fermenters, the uncrushed grapes began a spontaneous fermentation. A gentle pigeage program was charted and the grapes remained on skins for 10-16 days.
The free-run wine was racked to a combination of 50% French oak barrels (10% new) and 50% breathable plastic eggs with the remaining pomace basket-pressed. Malolactic then proceeded followed by a light sulphuring after which the wine was racked off Malolactic lees and returned to cleaned barrels for an 11-month maturation. No finings, simply racked and light filtration prior to bottling.

Richard Kershaw’s personal suggestions for dishes include charcuterie, its salt and fat being complemented by the delicate spicy notes and fruit; Pork loin with honey, pepper, and lemon-zest glaze; Carpaccio; duck cassoulet; ovenroasted monkfish with garlic mashed potatoes; seared tuna; wild mushroom risotto; a simple beet salad with some hazelnuts and ricotta cheese; a slice of Brie or Gorgonzola dolce.

Lismore Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir

The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness. 30% whole bunch fermented in large 5000 liter vats with gentle pump-overs twice a day. The process allowed for a long extraction period which lends to the fruit expression and structure of this wine. The free run wine was drained off and the fermented grapes were then pressed in a traditional wooden basket press. The wine was racked into 225, 300 and 500 liter barrels where malolactic fermentation took place and the wine was aged for 10 months. 35% new French oak was used.

Review:

"The 2018 Pinot Noir comes from Walker Bay and Kaaimansgat and includes 30% whole-bunch fruit, aged for 11 months in 25% new oak. The bouquet sports vivid red cherry and raspberry fruit that is exceptionally well defined and beautifully integrated with the oak. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, well-judged acidity and a slightly fleshy texture. There is just the right amount of salinity here, and the finish is kept on a tight leash, allowing the detail and precision to be fully expressed. A slight sour edge on the finish keeps you coming back for another sip. Excellent and reassuringly classy. - Neal Martin" - Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2019), 92 pts

"Walker Bay and Elandskloof are the twin sources of 30% whole bunch-fermented Pinot from Sam O'Keefe. Juicy, floral and charming, it's a graceful, fruit forward style with some clove and tobacco spice and refreshing acidity. The finish is a little firmer than I remember. 2020-24"- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2020 Special Report), 92 pts

Sokol Blosser Big Tree Block Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

1970 was winding down when our founders, Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser pulled their ’68 VW Camper up to an abandoned prune orchard some 30 miles southwest of Portland. These moonstruck kids had little farming experience and just a basic knowledge of winemaking. What they did have, in abundance, was a passion for growing the Pinot Noir grape and creating world-class wine. Soon after settling on this extraordinary land, they planted their first vines and cinched their place as pioneers in Oregon’s budding wine industry.

Review:

A very impressive wine for the striking sense of spice, white-pepper and briary, forest notes, across red cherries. The palate has sapid, focused style with such taut yet silky tannins holding long and true. Pure red cherries here. Drink or hold.

WALT Wines Blue Jay Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.

A unique set of vineyards from 'The Corner' of Anderson Valley - located in the hills to the East of Boonville. Both of our estate properties have steep hillsides, aspect, and light gravelly soils that combine to create optimal ripening conditions. These very rugged vineyard sites continuously produce fruit of great depth and character.

. The smooth and silky palate has an extra dimension of depth from our signature technique of including roasted stems in the fermentation. Integrated flavors of dark fruits, barrel char and loamy earth lead to a supple and mouthwatering finish.forest floor and black tea, wild blueberry, ripe cherryThis wine has a captivating nose of 

Ancien Pinot Noir Russian River Jouissance is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

Jouissance is sourced from the single vineyard established and farmed by Mark Lingenfelder at his home estate.  Mark’s decades of experience as a vineyard manager and consulting viticulturalist have provided him the depth of experience to reach the pinnacle at his own property.  Having worked with storied wineries over the years, we are grateful our paths have crossed enabling us to work with him for our Russian River designate.  He tends the vines himself while relying on neighbor Lee Martinelli to provide additional help at the peak times.  We work with a mix of Pommard and Dijon 667 vines from his oldest and youngest blocks – aged wisdom combines with youthful vigor!

The 2021 growing season was a welcome success after a more varied and challenging 2020.  The vines came on with aplomb, demonstrating the rich fruit concentration we expect – even if the crop was meager.  The ongoing drought in California served to further accentuate the character and concentration of the fruit.  While warmer conditions have prevailed in other areas, the coastal areas of California continue to benefit from the maritime influence and moderating influence that it brings.

We fermented in our one ton, open-top tanks after filling by gravity.  A warm fermentation with a combination of native and isolated Burgundian yeasts produced excellent and focused flavor extraction, complemented with traditional punch-downs by hand. The wine was aged entirely in Francois Freres cooperage, 40% new, and racked once, gently, prior to bottling.  Grapes, must, and wines were moved using gravity through to the barrel and using inert gas through racking and bottling.   151 cases produced.

Bright fruit notes dominate the aromas with bright cherry, plum, and boysenberry underlaid by allspice and clove.  On the palate the wine is liquid velvet, it’s silkiness segueing into a burst of fruit and spice that rides high on the palate while gradually opening to deeper berry, tea, and baking spices.  It is a refreshing and lively Pinot Noir in its youth that will continue to fill out in depth and complexity over the next 2-5 years.

Appasionata Andante Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

Inspired by the three movements of Beethoven’s ground-breaking “Appassionata” Piano Sonata, there are three Appassionata Pinot Noirs, released at different tempos.

The second movement, Andante (gently, unhurried), is held longer in our cellar after bottling and released five years after the vintage. Made with the same patience and restraint, this bottling is selected to emphasize elegance and refinement, a style reflected in Beethoven’s own performancedirection for this movement: “Piano e Dolce” (softly and sweetly). The 2017 Andante exhibits great aromatic and textural finesse, with delicately pretty fruit and a silky, harmonious texture. The hint of extract sweetness that emerges on the finish is exactly what we are looking for as a Pinot Noir matures.

Review:

Archery Summit Estate Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

To unpack this Pinot Noir is to dig through layer upon intriguing layer of the storied Dundee Hills appellation. 2021 finished with a bang and is already considered the vintage of the century for many Willamette Valley wineries, and for good reason. But it didn’t necessarily start that way. Heat spikes and limited water were themes early on, to the tune of 116° F in some parts of the valley. 

The 2021 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir touts all the hallmarks of Archery Summit's storied appellation. It begins with brambleberry, ripe rainier cherry, blackberry blossoms, cocoa powder, and spice on the nose. The palate is just as lively, with fresh, juicy red fruit backed by graceful tannins and acid. Finishing with spiced oak and a mouth-coating minerality, this wine is a case study in the magic of the Dundee Hills.

Yet, thanks to water reserves in the soil itself and some timely viticultural movements, the vineyards persevered through the heat and water limitations. The dryer season accelerated picking times, making the fruit ripen a bit earlier than normal. September rewarded us with cool nights and the lower-than average yields set us up to make wines with abundant character, intensity and balance. The winery is so grateful for the moisture-abundant, microbially-rich and chemical-free soils that lovingly nudged the vines towards the finish line. 

Review:

No one is naïve about the difficulties and challenges of growing Pinot Noir away from its home in Burgundy (even there, of course, it isn’t easy). Pinot has taken to Oregon’s Willamette Valley with remarkable success, though, and especially to the red-soiled Dundee Hills. This 2021 wine is a fine example of the charm, balance and satisfaction that fine Dundee Hills Pinot can provide. Translucent scarlet in colour, with magnetically attractive raspberry scents, once on the palate the wine is soft-contoured yet energetic, with arresting intensity of fruit. Here the raspberry shades into something more curranty and tenacious, and there are refreshing bitter notes in the finish, too, with a hint of earthiness perhaps derived from the clays of volcanic origin in which the vines grow. The warm edge of cool climate? Perhaps – and it makes for beautiful drinking.

-Decanter 97 Points

Belle Glos Balade Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

Dark violet in color with aromas of dark fruit and toasted brioche with a hint of baking spice. Bold and sophisticated on the palate with blackberry, boysenberry, French toast, black pepper, and a trace of cinnamon. This wine is beguiled with complexity and a light refreshing approach, yet not overly bold on the palate.

 Review:

Dried cherry, baked plum and a full spice rack of aromas show on the nose of this bottling. Tense, slightly sappy tannins frame the sip, where black plum, stewed cherry and bay leaf flavors lead into a wood smoke-kissed finish. 

-Wine Enthusiast 92 Points