Willamette Valley | Dundee Hills
2016 Knudsen Vineyards Reserve Pinot noir
The Reserve yields a concentrated hue, with aromas of black cherry, blackberry, fresh mushroom and wood spice. The palate lends itself to a more serious tone—a fuller, more structured texture with darker, deeper flavors of kirsch, baked red plum, vanilla bean, and freshly-grated nutmeg. A regal wine with a broad, expansive mouthfeel and a pleasantly long, soft finish. An excellent wine, and one built to last.
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FAMILY SERIES
Estate Grown
LIVE Certified
Salmon Safe
ACCOLADES
Double Gold – SF Chronicle
96 – PinotFile
92 – James Suckling
91 – Wine & Spirits
91 – Wine Enthusiast
Gold – TEXSOM
Gold – Oregon Wine Awards
more…
Appellation: Dundee Hills
Soil: Jory – red volcanic: drains well during winter; holds water during summer heat.
Alcohol: 14.1%
pH: 3.65
Oak: 35% New French Oak
TA: 5.4g/L
Cases: 250
Block 15 | 60%
Rootstock |Riparia
Clone | 667
Planted | 2001
Elevation | 670-770 ft
Exposure | S
Spacing | 5×5 ft
Block 9 | 20%
Rootstock | Riparia
Clone | 777
Plated | 2006
Elevation | 750-840 ft
Exposure | E
Spacing | 5×5 ft
Block 11 | 10%
Rootstock | 3309
Clone | 777
Plated | 2004
Elevation | 710-810 ft
Exposure | NE
Spacing | 5×3.3 ft
Block 25 | 10%
Rootstock |3309
Clone | Pommard
Plated | 2008
Elevation | 700-780 ft
Exposure | SE
Spacing | 5×5 ft
92 Points – James Suckling
“This offers fresh violets and an abundance of spicy blue fruit with a very succulent, juicy, cola-laced palate that carries plenty of spicy oak, amid fresh red-cherry flavors.”
91 Points – Wine Enthusiast
91 Points – Wine & Spirits
“This massive, historic vineyard site in the heart of the Dundee Hills has vines going back to the early 1970s. This wine comes from blocks planted in 1998. It’s red fruited and lively, with a succulent core of cherry flavor.”
DOUBLE GOLD – SF Chronicle
GOLD – 2019 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
GOLD – TEXSOM
SILVER – Oregon Wine Awards
SILVER – 2019 SavorNW Wine Awards
SILVER – 2018 SF International Wine Competition
96 Points – PinotFile
“Fruit sourced from three blocks that revealed themselves to be special and distinct. Moderate garnet color in the glass. A totally different wine from the regular Willamette Valley bottling. Darker fruited in a mid weight style with aromas and flavors of black cherry, pomegranate and black raspberry framed by a touch more oak. Compared to the regular Dundee Hills bottling, there was more extraction, a little more tannic backbone, and a longer, deeply aromatic finish. A luscious texture really enhanced the pleasure. Even better when tasted several hours after opening.”
Cellar Select – Oregon Wine Press
“Pretty blueberry and floral aromas combine with more savory darker tones of toasted cinnamon stick and caramelized meat glaze. Blueberry reappears on the palate, which is concentrated and rich with a soft finish and a return of baking spices.”
The 2016 growing season was one of the earliest on record and the third of three consecutive warm growing seasons, pushing the envelope for defining the new normal in Oregon. Bud break was two to four weeks earlier than usual and a brief heat spell at bloom condensed flowering, resulting in a smaller fruit set and clusters. July and August had fewer heat spikes compared to the 2014 and 2015 vintages, which led to smaller berry size and a higher concentration of flavors, while consistent warmth in August shepherded along an early harvest commencing in late August and concluding in mid-September. The 2016 vintage produced ripe and rich fruit with supple tannins, typically strong natural acidity and great flavor intensity. 2016 was an exceptional vintage in Oregon.