PINOT NOIR

The 2017 A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir highlights the ripeness and concentration of the vintage with an uncommon grace and style. The compelling nose opens with vibrant notes of blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, raspberry, strawberry, red current, plum, thyme, sage and baking spices. The scents are lifted by lingering rose petal and violet aromas, while deeper notes of graphite, leather, and pipe tobacco bring depth.

ANTONIO GALLONI'S VINOUS MEDIA 92 POINTS - "Deep lurid red. Spice- and smoke-accented cherry, raspberry and musky floral scents are complemented by building mineral and earth accents. Concentrated yet lively in character, offering intense cherry, Chambord and cola flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Smoothly plays power off finesse and finishes very long and appealingly sweet, with dusty tannins sneaking in late."

ANTONIO GALLONI'S VINOUS MEDIA 90 POINTS - "Bright red. Fresh red berry and candied rose scents show impressive clarity and energy. Gently sweet and vibrant in style, displaying seamless texture and mineral-tinged raspberry and spicecake flavors that slowly fan out on the back half. Closes with sharp focus, repeating spiciness and fine-grained tannins that lend shape and subtle grip."

ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 90 POINTS - "Medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir has an inviting nose of cinnamon stick, autumn leaves, aniseed, crushed black cherries, earth and potpourri. It's medium-bodied with dark fruits, firm, grainy tannins and good freshness, finishing on a spicy note. 423 cases produced."

Seven Springs Vineyard was planted in 1984 by Al MacDonald on an east-facing slope, in the iron-rich and rocky, volcanic soils of the Eola-Amity Hills. Al planted what would become one of Oregon's most recognized vineyards who sold fruit to many benchmark Oregon producers. The vineyard's position opposite of the windy Van Duzer Corridor mitigates hot, sunny afternoons in the Willamette Valley with cool winds from the Pacific. As valley temperatures increase throughout the day, warm air rises, replaced by cooling winds flooding in from the Pacific through the Van Duzer gap and across the vineyard providing extended hang time at harvest. The vineyard has always been dry farmed, it's certified LIVE and was converted to biodynamic viticulture in 2007.

At the helm of Seven Springs is Rajat Parr, world renowned wine sommelier and Sashi Moorman, known for his passion for winemaking and viticulture. Together, these two bring an insurmountable amount of knowledge leading Seven Springs into its 4th decade producing outstanding wines at an affordable price point!

WINE SPECTATOR 91 POINTS - "Refined and elegantly layered, with floral apple, spiced lees and mineral notes that glide along a structured finish. Drink now through 2021. 1,500 cases made."

As a fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon wine industry, Drew Voit is intimately familiar with exceptional vineyard sites. While serving as the Associate Winemaker at Domaine Serene Winery, and then as Winemaker for Shea Wine Cellars, he worked with some of the best vineyards in the Willamette Valley. Harper Voit is the logical progression of that work: seeking out great sites, excellent fruit, and long-term relationships with growers.

As one of the most well known bottlings of Pinot Noir in America, organically grown Pinot Noir from their estate vineyard is blended with grapes from sustainably farmed vineyards throughout Oregon, where grapes are grown to our strictly enforced standards. This wine offers notes of raspberry, tobacco leaf, toast cherry, citrus.

Winery's Tasting Notes: "The 2017 Rex Hill Willamette Valley Pinot Noir greets with scents of rich, dark berries, pomegranate, rhubarb, caramel, mulling spices, and tobacco with secondary hints of balsa wood, flint, slate, and graphite. The palate is expansive and energetic with moderate tannins, balanced acidity, and integrated, approachable oak. The wine is true to the Willamette Valley's cooler climate fruit and promises age worthiness."

ANTONIO GALLONI'S VINOUS MEDIA 92 POINTS - "Saturated garnet. Pungent, spice-accented red berry and cherry aromas, along with suggestions of candied rose, vanilla and smoky minerals. Seamless and broad on the palate, showing good heft and spicy cut to concentrated raspberry, cherry compote, mocha and floral pastille flavors. The floral quality carries through an energetic finish that features discreet tannins and a lingering suggestion of sappy red fruit. Made with 18% whole clusters and aged in 40% new oak."

The wine is very dark, aromatic and has great natural acidity. At this stage of development, most of its character is in a long, long finish - a good sign for the future of the wine! 2017 was a very good vintage for us. The balance and intensity of this wine demonstrates this beautifully.

ANTONIO GALLONI'S VINOUS MEDIA 94 POINTS - "Veteran winemaker Tony Soter and his longtime assistant winemaker, James Cahill, make wines that age magnificently. The bottlings from Soter's estate vineyard, Mineral Springs, are often among the Willamette Valley's top Pinot Noirs, while those bottled under the North Valley label convey a somewhat more approachable style. I say 'somewhat' because, like their big brothers, they are built to reward aging, but at a user-friendly price point. The 2017s here show very good depth and possess the freshness and energy to make them drinkable on the young side, if one so desires."

"Limpid ruby-red. Powerful, spice-accented red and dark berries, incense and candied flowers on the seductively perfumed nose; a mineral nuance builds in the glass. Alluringly sweet, sharply delineated cherry, raspberry preserve and rose pastille flavors are complemented by an exotic spice nuance. Fine-grained and seamless in texture, finishing extremely long and sappy, with resonating spiciness and slowly building tannins. 40% new oak."

Just as their Pinot Gris is something to write about, their Pinot Noir is a show stopper! Torii Mor (Torii meaning "ornate gates" and Mor meaning "earth") has long been one of our favorite domestic Pinot Noir producers. With production slightly above 1,000 cases, they are able to keep superior quality control of the wine from vine to bottling.

This quintessential Pinot noir from the Willamette Valley begins with rich aromas of boysenberry and blueberries, framed by black fruits and complex notes of earth. Acidity and sweetness on the palate evolves into rich flavors of concentrated blue-black fruits with complex notes of light oak and spices. The wine fiinishes with sweet fruit flavors, juicy tannin and savory earth notes.