Deep red/purple, glass-staining, with a shy but deep bouquet, which is latent and full of promise. Underlying spices, a core of sweet ripe cherry fruit, the tannins soft and full on the finish, adding structure and length. Spices and graphite. A superb wine with a big future. Needs time for the full payoff.
Deep, bright red/purple colour. Fresh and clean on the nose, with berries, cherries and spices to sniff. Really lovely aromas and flavours, understated and still evolving. The palate is fine and long with supple tannins and great harmony. A superb glass of shiraz.
Sunset sips drenched in rose gold beauty. A fabulous Rosé. Winemaker Peter Fraser has nailed it again.Made from eleven year old bush vine Grenache, hand picked, wild yeast fermented, it sees a little time in old French oak. Gorgeous florals lead to pomegranate, dried cranberries and a finely textured mouthfeel. A red apple crunch adds to a delicious acidty. That texture and length just purr. Wow. Fabulous buying for the asking price.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageMedium ruby-purple in the glass, the 2016 Pinot Noir Slope gives up blueberry coulis, crushed blackberries, black cherries and cranberry sauce with touches of pomegranate, loamy earth, tar and charcuterie. The palate is medium-bodied with very intense flavor layers, expertly framed and fresh, finishing very long and flavorful. This will benefit from another year in bottle.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageMedium ruby-purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir The Sum is scented of Earl Grey tea, tar, loamy earth, lavender and garrigue with black currants and black cherries at the core and hints of smoked meats and peppercorn. Medium-bodied and silky, it offers an intense dark fruit core with grainy tannins and seamless freshness on the very long, savory finish.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe second vintage of this wine, the 2016 Pinot Noir Vista has a medium ruby-purple color and nose of warm blackberries, cranberry sauce, damp tobacco leaf, dusty earth, smoked meats, amaro and dried flowers. The palate is medium-bodied with intense, savory fruits, a grainy frame and juicy freshness lifting the long, perfumed finish. This will reward another year in bottle.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe pale to medium ruby-purple colored 2016 Block 6 Pinot Noir is scented of prosciutto, warm blackberries and crushed black cherries with accents of tar, loamy earth, bitter citrus peel, amaro and nori. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a lacy frame and tangy opposing acidity, finishing long and bitters-laced.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageMedium ruby-purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir Conifer has a layered, perfumed nose of dried hollyhocks, lilac and lavender with accents of fir, bay leaf, forest floor, blood orange peel, tea leaf and woodsmoke over a core of crushed blackberries and black cherries. The medium-bodied palate is silky, intense and very fresh with a grainy frame and long, floral finish.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintagePale ruby-purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir Block 14 has a lovely nose of crushed stone, sliced blueberries, boysenberries, red currant and savory cranberry with accents of bergamot, lilac and dusty earth. The light to medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled with perfumed fruits, silky and fresh with a long finish.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageYouthfully slow to open, the medium ruby colored 2017 Pinot Noir Emery takes time to offer up dried tobacco leaves, Earl Grey tea leaves, dried lavender, cranberries and pomegranate aromas with notes of blackberries, fragrant earth, citrus peel and amaro. It's medium-bodied and silky with slowly blossoming fruit, spice and earth layers, firmly framed and fresh with a long, layered finish. This will benefit from another year or two in bottle.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Pinot Noir Aliette comes from Pommard and Wadensvil clones. Medium ruby, it offers crushed blackberries, black cherries, loamy earth, oolong tea leaves, bergamot and lavender on the nose with touches of clove and dried leaves. It's medium-bodied and silky with restrained, perfumed fruits, a grainy frame and juicy freshness, finishing long and nuanced. 700 cases produced. This will benefit from another year in bottle, but it's perfectly approachable now.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe medium ruby colored 2017 Pinot Noir Kiana is scented of crushed blackcurrants, black cherries and blackberry pie with allspice, loamy earth, cured meats, dried herbs and flowers and red berry sparks. The palate is medium-bodied and silky with intense, earth-laced fruits, a firm frame of grainy tannins and great freshness to oppose the density of flavor, finishing long and nuanced. This merits another year in bottle.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Pinot Noir Zena Crown Vineyard has a pale to medium ruby-purple color and youthfully coiled nose. With time, it offers notes of lavender, licorice, cranberries, pomegranate and blackberries with an earthy core and nuances of black tea leaves and citrus peel. Medium-bodied, silky and intense, it has fragrant fruits with a fine-grained texture and juicy freshness to lift the long, layered finish. This will benefit from another year in bottle.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintagePenner-Ash's medium ruby-purple colored 2017 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard is a beauty! It has a perfume of blood orange peel, dried roses, woodsmoke and black tea leaves with a core of red currants, licorice, red cherries and cranberry sauce with saline touches. The light to medium-bodied palate is delicately styled but intensely flavored and juicy, finishing very long and very perfumed.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Pinot Noir Upland has a medium ruby-purple color and a perfume of autumn leaves, spiced cranberry sauce, warm blackberries, fragrant earth, tangerine peel, violets and lilacs with notes of stone and dust. The palate is medium-bodied, silky, intense and fragrant, with a firm frame of grainy tannins and lip-smacking acidity, finishing long and nuanced. Give it another year in bottle.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Pinot Noir Cascade is medium ruby-purple in color and scented of candied blackberries, warm cranberry sauce, allspice, nutmeg, tree bark, black tea leaves and forest floor with oodles of lilac and rose petal perfume plus touches of aniseed and charcuterie. The medium-bodied palate is intense, spicy, grainy and layered with seamless freshness and a long finish. This has the stuffing and structure to benefit from another year or two in bottle and to age well over the next decade.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe medium ruby colored 2017 Pinot Noir Estate features crushed raspberries, blueberries and blackberries scents with touches of bergamot, forest floor, rhubarb, red licorice and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied, grainy and fresh with pure, perfectly ripe fruits and a long, sweet, spice-laced finish. This offers lovely expression now but will reward another year in bottle.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Chardonnay Estate has a very pretty nose of apple pie, sweet spices, hazelnuts, acacia and citrus blossom with poached pears and honey-oat nuances. It's medium-bodied with a gently rounded texture and great fruit intensity, lifted by bright acidity and finishing long and honey-laced.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2016 Syrah has a vibrant ruby-purple color and very pretty nose of blackberries, crushed black currants, violets, dried herbs and bay leaves with hints of cocoa and prosciutto. The medium to full-bodied palate blossoms slowly, expertly framed by firm, grainy tannins and juicy lift, finishing nuanced and savory. This is a great middle-of-the-road style—not too much, not too little.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe medium ruby-purple colored 2017 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is slow to open, taking time to reveal tart cranberry, red currant, licorice, dusty earth and citrus peel aromas with notes of tea leaves and wild blackberries. The silky, medium-bodied palate offers intense fruits that are softly framed and juicy, finishing long. This is so crunchy and so fresh!
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard is still very tightly coiled, revealing warm blackberries, cured meats, tar, earth, aniseed and potpourri hints with coaxing. The medium-bodied palate is powerful and intense with loads of earth and spice accents, finishing long and floral. This needs at least another year or two in bottle to unwind.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe medium ruby colored 2017 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard opens with saline, granite, dried herbs and pink peppercorn notes with red currants, smoked cranberries, tea leaves, bitters and amaro accents. It's medium-bodied and silky in the mouth with slowly blossoming flavor layers, a firm, grainy frame and seamless freshness, finishing long. This will benefit from another year or two in bottle.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintagePale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Bella Vida Vineyard is scented of pomegranate, tart cranberries and red currants with nuances of dusty earth, autumn leaves, wild blackberries, citrus peel and bergamot. It's medium-bodied and silky with perfumed fruits, a finely woven fabric of grainy tannins and juicy freshness to lift the long, fragrant finish.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintagePale to medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills offers smoked meats, roasted cranberries, blackberries, saline, tea leaves and dusty earth aromas. Medium-bodied, silky, concentrated and spicy, it has a grainy frame and juicy freshness with pure, crunchy fruits, finishing long and spiced.
USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintagePale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Pas de Nom has a perfume of spicy cranberries, warm blackberries, red currants and bergamot with touches of citrus peel and flowers. Youthfully coiled, it's medium-bodied and silky, slowly opening in the mouth, with a firm frame and great freshness on the finish. This needs another year or two in bottle to unwind.