“From a hillside vineyard, Clay Court is on top of Parrett Mountain comes a beautifully balanced Pinot Noir. Ruby red-hued with great floral elegance, showy notes of dusty red berries, and a gravelly minerality. The palate is fleshy, red-fruited and delicious; a squeeze of blood orange brightens the affair; it’s followed on by tart cranberries, green tea leaves and an array of savoury dried herbs, finishing with tart cherries and a hint of minerality.”
“Deliciously ripe, the Mount Richmond site is secluded, sitting at the western end of the Willamette Valley with south-east-facing slopes. It’s generously aromatic with Christmas spice and clove that lead to black and red berry fruits. The palate is lushly dark fruited, fleshy ripe cherries, hints of turned earth and umami and a wonderful wild anise note at the finish.”
“From a historic site in the foothills of the Cascade Range and the Laurelwood District AVA, the aromas are soft and elegant, With sweet red berries, smoky rose petals, and notes of black tea. The palate is concentrated with ripe fruit, candied raspberries, black cherry flesh, and a finish of spicy black plums.”
“A Pinot Blanc blended across six northern Willamette Valley vineyard sites. Whole cluster pressed, this wine is floral and full of aromatics: green mangoes and ripe golden peaches against a note of sweet clover honey. The palate is medium-bodied, with rich, creamy citrus notes of mandarin and Meyer lemon pulp followed by savoury hints of thyme, green tea and a touch of cardamom.”
“From the Mount Richmond Vineyard in the foothills of the Coast Range on Willakenzie soils, lemon oil marks the aromatics, followed by notes of spiced pear and a hint of almond cream. The palate is lush, well-textured, and bright. Lemon curd flavours mingle with notes of white pepper, honeyed ginger, and sweet nectarine flesh.”
“A Pinot Gris that shows a serious side with nice texture and fullness, it harkens to a time when serious Pinot Gris was de rigueur in the Willamette Valley. Ripe Bartlett pears, bruised apples, and a whisper of cardamom mark the aromatics, which follow with complex nutty notes. Far from simplistic, the fruit on this palate is ripe, nuanced, and layered. Apricot flesh mingles with honeyed peaches, ginger, and lemon pastry cream. Complexity at a great value.”
“Brilliant red fruit aromatics, with sweet candied raspberries coming to the fore, buoyed by notes of fresh mint. The palate is fleshy and offers plenty of tannin and structure, fresh red and black bramble fruits interplaying with savoury herbal notes, and finishes with a gravelly mineral tone.”
Intensely ripe and opulent, this Pinot Noir from the estate Roosevelt Vineyard, which is about 1ha and planted to high density, is farmed to create wines of intensity. Aromas of Ripe boysenberry and rich cola spices jump forth from the glass. The palate continues with jammy blackberry fruits, cinnamon, clove and streaks of umami-based minerality.
The Reserve represents a barrel selection that varies each vintage. In 2021, the blend included Roosevelt, Clay Court, Goodrich, La Bohème and Mount Richmond barrels. Aromas of smoky violets and turned earth unravel this intense Pinot Noir, which needs time in the glass and the bottle to reveal itself. Juicy brambleberry fruits colour the palate alongside savoury dill, red currant and sappy Montmorency cherries. There is ample lift to brighten the dense core of the fruit.
A gorgeously bright and savoury Pinot Noir from this 24-ha parcel in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA is done at 50% whole cluster. It’s got pretty aromatics of savoury dried herbs, fresh mint, evergreen tips and early-season strawberries. The palate flashes a real depth of fruit with rich brambleberries, brightened by pine sap, smoked sea salt and sumac notes. A delicious coming together of the wine’s rich fruit and mineral complexity.
Opulent aromas of rose petals, smoke and crushed raspberries mark this wine from the La Bohème Vineyard, planted in 1985. Sweet black raspberries, cloves, and green tea leaves are met by sandalwood and chicory root. The structure is impressive, and the fruit goes on seemingly forever.
The least planted of the Pinots in the Willamette Valley, Pinot Blanc offers fresh floral goodness, and this bottling from Elk Cove delivers. Sweet white floral aromas of gardenia and English Hawthorne swirl around notes of lychee and early-season apricot. The palate is light, bright and fruited with sweet peach flesh, mandarin and candied lemon peel. The wine finishes with an incredible mineral streak of wet slate and ample acidic lift.
A wonderful off-dry Oregon Riesling that shows elegance, depth and just the slightest touch of viscosity. The aromatics of cardamom, spiced pear and honeysuckle are tinged with wet stone aromas and just a kiss of petrol. The palate shows a real depth of spiced pear fruits, lychee, toasted almond cream and great acidity carry this wine to the finish.
Richly complex, this is not a simple sipping Pinot Gris. The aromatics are floral and fruit-centred, with plenty of jasmine, ripe pear and toasted almond. The palate is surprisingly rich and complex, with lanolin, beeswax and sweet stone fruit flavours. Textured and rich with candied ginger, honeyed pear and apricot to finish. This is a lot of vinous complexity for less than $20.
“This is a wine built for ageing… Rich and redolent aromatics, dusty blackberry, a hint of dried herbs and sweet notes of strawberry coulis. The palate is ripe, balanced and amply structured. Concentrated flavours of sappy blackberry, blueberry and fig are woven in a core of dark fruits. The wine’s body is generous, with mouth-coating dark fruit, yet peeks of minerality, clove and fresh mint offer symmetry to the abundance of fruit…”