Pinot Noir

Low-yielding, mature sites across the Willamette Valley, classic low intervention winemaking and careful maturation captures the typicity of these sites and the purity of this noble grape variety. FORAGER speaks to how growing, gathering, and judiciously blending small lots of delicious Pinot Noir can deliver serious flavor and interest.

The 2023 vintage in the Willamette Valley started with a cool spring with warming and flowering starting in mid-May. Warm and dry weather throughout the growing season meant low to zero issues with mold or mildew and near perfect clusters of grapes with minimal intervention. Steady ripening led to greater textural density and aromatic complexity.

Maturation:
15% New French oak for 6 months

100% Willamette Valley Forager 2023 comes from two sites on the Eastern side of the Willamette Valley in the foothills of the Cascades where the cool breezes flow down from the mountains and help retain vivid freshness and liveliness.

Regional Composition
100% Willamette Valley AVA

Hand-harvested between September 14 and October 9, the compact Pinot Noir bunches were handled with a very light touch in cellar and hand-sorted with about 40% in whole clusters, then crushed, and cold macerated in 5-ton open-top fermenters. A very light dash of natural sulfur was added at the crusher and fermentation began with prevailing, “local” natural yeasts. Moderate fermentation temperature (85°F) and 1 pigeage per day helped build structure. After a gentle press (<1 bar), ML took place in barrel followed by 11 months maturation which contributed spiciness and a velvety mouthfeel. 10% new French oak plays a supporting role. After a light “polish” filtration, 39 barrels (~979 cases) were bottled in September 2024.

In addition to LIVE Certified and other well-managed vineyards, we have adopted carbon-neutral, Forest Stewardship Council-certified and biodegradable natural corks because cork forests sequester about one ton of carbon per year. A well-farmed natural vineyard will also sequester about 1⁄2 ton of carbon per year. FSC-certified recycled post-consumer paper labels incorporate compostable inks. We also moved to a lighter weight (490 grams) recycled glass bottle.

This classic Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is visually appealing for its gorgeous translucent garnet robe. Blue fruited berry aromatics lead the way, complemented by Italian plum, clementine and a minty shiso note. Dense, plummy and blueberry notes persist onto the soft, velvety pallet, which is accented on the finish with hints of earth and cinnamon. Juicy and delicious!