2021 Goodrich
This wine opens with sweet black plum and dark cherry fruit, its confectionary quality tempered by black tea, nutmeg and chicory. Generously structured with a pleasant lift, it finishes with notes of black licorice and vanilla.
95 Points
“The 2021 Pinot Noir Goodrich was grown on marine sediment and made using 50% whole clusters. It has a medium ruby-purple color and layered aromas that disperse slowly from the glass: black cherries, prosciutto, aniseed, fir and Angostura bitters. The medium-bodied palate is savory and generous with concentrated, nuanced fruit, abundant, grainy tannins and loads of spicy accents that fan pleasurably across the finish. It’s a great candidate for 7-10 years in the cellar.”
– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (May 2023)
Vintage
VINTAGE 2021 was an outstanding year at Elk Cove. Cool weather during bloom and moderate temperatures during most of the growing season brought forth an ample harvest of intensely concentrated fruit.
The timing of weather events was key to our success in 2021. Rainfall during bloom raised expectations for a small, high-quality crop. Then a once-in-a millennium heat dome event brought worrying temperatures to the Pacific Northwest. This was thankfully during the most resilient stage of the growing season and our old vines survived without signs of serious stress or sunburn. Growth resumed normally once temperatures cooled with average heat from July through September bringing even ripening to the plentiful small, loose clusters. Our vines made it through the rain and the heat in fine condition with lots of variable-sized berries, known as hens and chicks.
Harvest 2021 was not only of high quality but also surprisingly bountiful. Low levels of dehydration combined with the numerous small clusters and several acres of young vines coming into maturity meant a record tonnage for Elk Cove. For red Pinot Noirs, expect intense color and flavors bursting out of the glass, while white wines and rosés are fruit-forward with great acidity and balance.
Vineyard
Elk Cove Vineyards purchased Goodrich Vineyard in 2014. A 69 acre property planted with 21 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Goodrich Road sits just outside the town of Yamhill, Oregon in the heart of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA.
Goodrich Vineyard was planted in 2007 with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in highdensity a format. The property boasts the exact same marine sediment (Willakenzie) soil as our Mount Richmond property and lies just a few miles from our Estate Vineyard in Gaston.
This young vineyard has great promise and we were so impressed by the quality of the fruit we decided to make a Single Vineyard Pinot Noir in our very first year of farming the site.
Winemaking
Fruit from Goodrich is fermented in small, temperature controlled steel tanks with a portion of whole-cluster fruit, hand punched down twice daily, and barreled in French oak barrels. After 10 months of aging, only the barrels that are most representative of the Goodrich profile are carefully blended to create an elegant Oregon Pinot Noir.
Viticultural & Enological Data
- Vine Age 14 years
- Harvest Sugars 24 brix
- pH 3.61
- Vatting Fermentation in small open top steel fermentors. 10 months in 33% French oak
