This might be the richest Condor we’ve made, with black plum, blackberry and cinnamon on the nose and ripe dark fruit on the palate. It’s silky with an earthy undercurrant. Condor will improve with bottle age for 5-10 years.
In 2007 Joe volunteered in a small medical clinic in Arequipa, Peru. Before returning home to Oregon, he asked his colleagues how he could continue to help. They told him the most critical health need was for food assistance.
The community had a kitchen that provided a meal to 600 of the neediest, but an additional 4000 often went without a daily meal. Because of Joe’s experience as a winemaker, he came up with a plan to produce a limited production wine each year, all proceeds of which would contribute to the hunger relief program.
Condor is sourced from Elk Cove Vineyards’ esteemed La Bohème Vineyard West Block. Whole berries again made up 50% of the fermenting must to maximize fruitiness from these 30-35 year old vines. The wine was aged for 10 months in French oak and is already tasting delicious.
This wine has gorgeous fruit-forward aromatics and is juicy with bright cherry flavors in the glass. Condor will improve with bottle age for 5-10 years.
Cheryl and I have been buying Condor since Joe and Pat first started producing it. First we gave the wine to my clients, and when I retired, we gave it to very grateful friends. There hasn’t been a bad vintage in the bunch and we have kept at least one bottle of each vintage to sample with the Campbells and Fr. Alex the next time he is in Portland. Extraordinarily good Pinot Noir for an extraordinarily important cease.
Enjoyed this 2019 Pinot Noir. It had a little sweetness on the palette and was very smooth.
Review Condor.