2021 La Bohème

With lively aromas of pie cherry, fir needles, clove and rose petal, this wine’s fine-grained, silky tannins complement deep flavors of blackberry and black raspberry with notes of fennel, dark chocolate, and pink peppercorn on the long finish.

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“The 2021 Pinot Noir La Bohème has a medium ruby-purple color and deep scents of red and black cherries, forest floor, pipe tobacco and burnt citrus peel. The medium-bodied palate is surprisingly layered and nuanced, with loads of spicy accents and alluring floral perfume. It has a silky texture, energetic acidity and a very long, spicy finish. Offer it another 2-3 years in the bottle.”

– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (May 2023)

“La Bohème is a wine in four acts. The opening notes of black cherry compote, basil, grilled meat, cedar and orange zest strike a chord. The second act features dramatic flavors like Damson plum, blackcap raspberry and toasted marshmallow. Then one sits and admires the wine’s piercing trill of acidity and baritone tannins. The final act is a long finish, with an ovation. Editors’ Choice.”

– Wine Enthusiast (February 2024)

“The outstanding 2021 La Bohème Pinot Noir from Elk Cove sports a medium ruby-blue core with a neon pink rim and offers up bountiful aromas of red cherries, mountain huckleberries, forest herbs, tangerine zest, and some turned earthy notes. Flowing across the tongue, the sweet, rounded tannins and lush acidity help calm the spicy note on the finish. Drink this one over the next decade with proper cellaring. Highly recommended.”
– International Wine Report (January 2024)

The 2021 Elk Cove ‘La Boheme’ is a stunning wine made from Pommard clone Pinot Noir from their estate La Boheme Vineyard. Vines at this site are nearly 40 years old. This displays a sterling sense of tension in the mouth. Pretty guava and cran-pomegranate fruit flavors combine with salty soils, white truffle shavings and shades of orange zest. Full-bodied and delicious, watch this beautiful evolve over the next fifteen years. Drink 2023-2038

– Owen Bargreen (December 2023)

“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.”

– Decanter (October, 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

We planted La Bohème Vineyard in 1985 by selecting the very best vines from our original Estate Pommard plantings. Pat and Joe Campbell named the vineyard after the family who sold them the property – and their favorite Puccini opera. This picturesque vineyard overlooks the winery and the coast range mountains and rises to 800 feet, making it one of the highest elevation vineyard sites in the Willamette Valley. La Bohème was planted using cuttings from vines selected for small cluster size and intense flavors, hallmarks of the world’s finest Pinot Noirs. We prune and cluster-thin La Bohème heavily to limit yields and to maximize ripening and flavor concentration.

Winemaking

All of Elk Cove’s delicate Pinot Noir fruit undergoes the same gentle handling through our gravity flow system. This allows us to achieve the elegance, texture and luscious quality that are the hallmarks of exquisite Pinot Noir.
Fruit from the La Bohème vineyard is fermented in small, temperature controlled steel tanks, hand punched down twice daily then aged for ten months in French oak. Our winemaking team then selects the very best barrels to represent the silky, lush flavor profile that exemplifies La Bohème pinot noir.

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