When Jackson Family Wines acquired one of the North Willamette Valley’s gems in 2013, it signaled the California giant’s first land purchased beyond the Golden State. It’s no coincidence that trailblazing winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash pulled from Zena Crown for some of her top Pinot Noirs. (Jackson Family Wines bought Penner-Ash Wine Cellars in 2016). The Sum is one of four examples of Pinot Noir that JFW winemaker Shane Moore produces in McMinnville under the Zena Crown brand, and he finished harvest of these clone 4 and clone 777 berries on Sept. 29. Baking spice from the 18 months in 59% new barrels melds with cherries and a bit of raspberry in the aromas. Dark cherry and a bit of pomegranate lead its flavors. It finishes with sport-on acidity that extends its depth of fruit. Earlier this month, some of the region’s top wine buyers selected The Sum as the best Pinot Noir at the sixth annual Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition. Outstanding.

2018 Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition Best Pinot Noir Zena Crown Vineyard, a site and brand owned by Jackson Family Wines, earned best of class for its 2015 Σ The Sum Pinot Noir, a wine from the rising Eola-Amity Hills crafted by Shane Moore, an Idaho native who graduated from Washington State University.

Obsession in the Willamette Valley, Part Four The penultimate pinot was the 2015 Sum. This is done with 50% whole cluster and takes a lot of inspiration from Cristom Vineyards’ approach, a Willamette winery that Shane admires. It is the fullest bodied, darkest, sweetest and most concentrated of the label’s wines. Cherry, raspberry, blackberry, cola and baking spices are in generous supply. Most intriguing, the acid has a slight juniper berry twang. Because of its significant weight, it’s not an everyday wine for our household, but for the occasions where we’d want a bigger wine, this would be a fascinating choice.

Hard to find Zena Crown pinot noirs are worth the effort Multiple blocks of grapes are used to create a black cherry, blackberry profile.

Obsession in the Willamette Valley, Part Four The 2015 Conifer was up next. This is Zena Crown’s summer themed wine. Slightly sappy and lighter in tannin than the others, it has elevated acid that delivers ripe fruit, light and sweet tobacco, and a nice depth of mineral tones. I’d compare this to Volnay in style. It seems the most ready to go of the vintage.

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Auction 2019 Vibrant acidity, corduroy-textured tannins, some fresh red rose aromas, black fruit, long length of finish.

Obsession in the Willamette Valley, Part Four The first we tasted was the 2014 Slope, which Shane called a “fireplace wine.” Its luxurious sensation is built around long, lush tannins and substantive weight. The flavors and aromas touch on deep cherry, cola, violets and bitter chocolate mousse at this stage, though the upside here with another five-plus years of aging is substantial.

The Wines of Oregon and Washington are Poised for Greatness on the World The Zena Crown Vineyard “Slope” Pinot Noir 2014 (SRP $100) is a subtly powerful wine whose impeccably balanced notes of cherry, flowers, licorice, plums, and Indian spices should continue to evolve for another two decades, minimum.

We started with the 2014 Zena Crown Conifer Pinot Noir from Oregon. It presented unlike most California pinots, with a bright bouquet and a powerful finesse, but not a strong berry flavor. Not a fruit bomb – more European in style. At $75/bottle, one to consider but I recommend you taste it first if possible.

Pinot selections for Thanksgiving Rich fruit and full body are expressed on the attack, followed by softly rounded tannins, fine balance and excellent complexity that lead to a lengthy, full-flavored finish.

Favorite Oregon Pinot Noir Bottles from Jackson Family Wines With its stylish label, we sipped this wine along with numerous small bites at a local Oregon restaurant. It’s food friendly, but that doesn’t mean it takes the passive backseat. This Pinot Noir is rich, complex and loaded with mushroom and roasted onion flavors disrupted by notes of dark berries and black pepper. Can’t find the 2013? Give the 2015 a whirl.

Uncorked: Spire Collection a portfolio of all stars Back state side, the dark red, ruby colored in the glass and bold Zena Crown ‘Slope’ Pinot Noir 2013 came from Oregon. It has beefy fruit with cranberry, fig and tobacco flavors. There’s black tea and wet earth on the nose. It’s full bodied with a round mouthfeel and a long-lasting finish.

Wines of the Week Zena Crown Vineyard is in the southern part of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. Planted on volcanic soils at elevations of 400 to 550 feet, this prime southwest-facing location combined with cooling breezes from the Van Duzer Corridor, creates a perfect home for Pinot Noir. The 2013 Conifer bottling offers complex aromas of red fruits, earthy citrus, mineral and Oregon forest floor. Excellent acidity on the mineral and spice finish pairs superbly with salmon.

The Stunning Spire Collection Estate in Calistoga This was a blend of a variety of clones with nice body, and it really wasn’t too heavy. I was surprised at how smooth it was, as most Oregon Pinor Noir wines are much earthier and less gentle. It also had a lovely, floral aromatic nose.

Light gold in the glass. Brine, honeysuckle, beeswax, lemon zest and light stonefruit aromas. Assertive: minerally, tight and zesty with light tonic/quinine to the the subtle honeyed stone fruit. Long tail of delicate, tantalising precise fruit. A most delicious wine. 18.25/20.

A new direction for McLaren Vale wine ...In the case of this svelte delight, the winemaker has preferred to keep that pale blanc-de-noirhue by rigidly limiting the duration of skin contact, a method which also stops short of extracting much phenolic tannin from the skins, keeping that juice as fresh and fine as possible. This is assisted by picking early, before the skins ripen fully. The result is an alluring aroma that avoids the usual overt, even brash raspberry/redcurrant/cranberry characters. Instead it offers a distinctive agave/prickly-pear juice finesse after that delicious cactus fruit adored as the heart flavour of spring and summer by the Maltese since they were Phoenicians...

Beyond raspberry: a rush of better rosés There’s an inventive resurgence of fine rosé underway in Oz this summer. Over the holiday, I saw impressive, thoughtfully-built wines from many who’ve moved on from the simple raspberry cordial sweeties often made from straight Grenache. Which is a waste of good Grenache. Unless you design a beauty like my landlord’s Yangarra, which was grown to be rosé, and made to maximise those many parts of Grenache which aren’t like raspberry cordial, ending up with a delightfully viscous dry whit-ish biodynamic wine made in big egg-shaped ceramic fermenters.

Crisp and tart with maraschino cherry flavors and a hint of tannin.

Yangarra's 2006 Shiraz Grenache Rosé was a cooling compliment to an alfresco lunch of tuna tartare.

The 2017 OLD VINE GRENACHE is a perfect axdvertisement for what Grenache can achieve when done right. It is not OTT, like the old fashioned ones were, nor picked too early so as to be thin, green and pissy, like quite a few “trendy” winemakers are now doing. This one is spot on the mark! From the very old vines planted in 1946, right through it has had mega TLC applied and it shows in the results. It is a bloody brilliant, world-class wine. No wonder Halliday raved about it.

Top 100 Australian Wines of 2018 - #71 Aside from being released earlier, this sets itself apart from the High Sands Grenache with its shape, texture and freshness. Lighter and brighter red fruits in the raspberry and red-plum zone. There is an innate strength to the tannins here, as well as a very vibrant, deep core of fruit that really shines. Superb! 95 points.

Yangarra Estate Vineyard 2016 McLaren Vale Wine Region 'HIGH SANDS' #GRENACHE -From 70 Year old bush vines, made in open fermenters with wild yeast- Alluring complex aromas of red berries, dried herbs and a hint of forest floor, masses of yummy sophisticated flavours- layer upon layer, finishing with fine, elegant tannins. AN ABSOLUTE BLINDER!!

Made according to biodynamic farming principals, this wine can easily be mistaken for a top-notch Châteauneuf-du-Pape in a blind tasting. Rich yet savoury with impressive balance and complexity. This is serious business.

Australian grenache is a delicious rarity in Northern California At the other end, a commendable example of a lustier take on the grape was the firm and leathery Yangarra 2015 McLaren Vale “High Sands” Grenache, a wine made from 72-year-old vines grown biodynamically on sandy dunes.

Huon’s best Australian wines of 2018