An opulent nose of Italian plum, and pie cherry is complemented by notes of rhubarb, violet and fig. The powerfully concentrated palate is rich and seamless with cranberry, brioche and warm cinnamon spice.
“…a broody nose of earth and blackberries with notes of tar and potpourri. The medium-bodied palate is fully fruited and firm, with an appealing savoriness and long, juicy finish…”
– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (Aug 31, 2018)
VINTAGE 2018’s growing season started hot and dry through spring and summer, but relief was just around the corner. A hearty rain weeks before harvest and cool temperatures in September and October slowed ripening and gave the fruit additional hang-time. Harvest came late with small, intensely flavored berries with a high skin-to-juice ratio. After a slow start, the second half of harvest saw the simultaneous ripening of multiple blocks and a veritable “crush” in the fermentation hall. Once again, we were thankful for the added capacity of our 2013 cellar expansion and a crew of seasoned pros in the vineyard and the cellar.
These are wines of ample flavors and high maturity levels. The Pinot Noirs are bold and fruit-forward with higher than average tannins. In the white wines, expect more tropical fruit aromas in addition to the classic stone-fruit aromas. This is a great vintage for those who appreciate boldness in cool-climate varietals. 2018 wines are highly intriguing, their intense richness balanced by lifted tones, coming from a warm growing season that thankfully concluded in a cool autumn.
VINEYARD: Our winemaking team considers barrels from all of our estate plantings to make the Reserve our very best Pinot Noir. In 2018, the final blend included three barrels from our Clay Court Vineyard and two each from Mount Richmond, Goodrich and our Winery Estate (La Bohème West and Roosevelt) and a single barrel from the old vines at our Five Mountain Vineyard.
WINEMAKING: We only make a Reserve in exceptional years, selecting less than 1% of our Pinot Noir to make the best wine we can imagine, balancing diverse components from our best vineyard blocks.
“This wine is made from the finest 10 barrels in our cellar. It’s a parallel blending process to our Willamette Valley Pinot, but with an extremely small volume. Clay Court gave a more red-fruited tone in 2018, balanced by the darker fruited Mount Richmond, Roosevelt and La Bohème. I love to think of this wine 15-20 years down the track since we make our Reserve with longevity in mind.”
– Owner/Winemaker Adam Campbell
Our Reserve is both big and structured, designed to improve with cellaring for 20+ years.
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