2021 Articulate Pinot Noir
2021 Articulate Pinot Noir
In our portfolio, Articulate is the top tier counterpoint to the single vineyard wines. It is not produced in every vintage but when the raw materials are available, a barrel-selected blend from excellent vineyards that are capable of expressing the beautiful, intriguing, and complex elements of Oregon Pinot noir. The Articulate bottling is meant to show the highest expression of the vintage as well as the Willamette Valley as a whole. It is also an occasion as a winemaker for me to show my hand and craft an especially complete and complex Pinot noir.
In the winery, Pinot grapes are handled very gently and encouraged to begin fermentation without addition of yeast. After a cool start, temperatures can get quite warm, aiding thorough if gentle extraction. The resulting wines are pure expressions of Pinot noir that remain light on their feet, rich on the palate, and very elegant with modest alcohols and vibrant acidity.
CLUB PRICE $30.40
Current members will automatically receive discount at checkout. Not a club member? Join now and start saving immediately! Click HERE for details.
vinification
Each vintage, our Pinot Noir delivers quality, sustainability and genuine value. We believe in crafting a distinctive wine that promotes the Willamette Valley’s unique origins and embraces a classic expression of Pinot Noir. Hand-harvested. Grapes were mostly destemmed (15% wholecluster) followed by a 3-5 day soak before fermentation. Fermenters received a combination of pump overs and punch downs over 12-18 days. Gently pressed and settled before aging in combination of 10% new French oak barrels and tank for 16 months prior to blending and bottling.
vineyards
Sylvia‘s Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA | 8 acres | Established 2005 | 272-380’ | N | Nekia soils
La Cantera Vineyard, Chehalem Mountains AVA | 28 acres | Established 1986 | 600 - 684’ | S/SW | Laurelwood soil
La Collina Vineyard, Dundee Hills AVA | 132 acres | Established 1999 | 600 ’ | S/SW | Volcanic Basalts
Carlton Hill Vineyard, Yamhill-Carlton AVA | 12 acres | Established 1999 | 420' - 480'’ | SE | Hazelair, Peavine & Willakenzie soils
vintage
The 2021 Oregon growing season and harvest will always be recalled with a sigh of relief. The year delivered an outstanding rebound vintage after the heartbreaking fires that impacted the region on so many levels the year before. 2021 was not without its challenges, though. Heavy rain in late June during the critical pollination period impacted yields in some areas by as much as 50%, and the hot and dry summer that followed was a tense reminder of the conditions that preceded the fires in 2020. But in the end, fruit came through the door beautifully ripe, balanced and perfectly positioned for minimal intervention on the part of winemakers. Across the board, the wines showed the intensity and richness of color one would expect from a warmer year, but perhaps the most striking characteristic was the nearly perfect retention of natural acidity.