A vibrant nose of ripe raspberry, cherry liqueur and tobacco introduces this expansive wine with wafts of rose and cinnamon. On the dense palate, blackberry bramble, black currant and clove lead into a long and lingering finish.
“Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Roosevelt has a nose of dark cherries and berries with hints of tar, dried flowers and earth. The medium-bodied palate offers dark, perfumed fruits with a firm, juicy frame and long, spiced finish.”
– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (April 23, 2020)
“A complex bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, exotic spices, cola and succulent herbs, and a hint of smokiness builds in the glass. Densely packed yet lively, offering intense black raspberry, boysenberry, candied rose and cola flavors that turn sweeter through the midpalate. Finishes very long and smooth, with sneaky tannins framing lingering dark berry preserve and floral pastille notes.”
– Vinous (August, 2020)
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.
Roosevelt vineyard was planted in 1993 and has quickly become Elk Cove’s most prized vineyard site. A four-acre high-density (2100 vines per acre) planting situated just south of the winery on Willakenzie soils, Roosevelt’s south-facing hillside slopes to a steep precipice overlooking the magnificent Williams Canyon.
Roosevelt undergoes extensive pruning and cluster thinning to limit yields and maximize ripening to concentrate the fruit and is managed using completely organic practices. All of these elements combine to consistently produce one of Oregon’s finest Pinot Noirs.
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.
This reserve level pinot noir is produced exclusively from grapes from our Roosevelt Vineyard. The wine is fermented in French oak and only the best barrels are selected to create what many consider Elk Cove’s finest Pinot Noir.
Review Roosevelt Magnum (1.5L).