Willamette Valley | Dundee Hills
2018 Knudsen Vineyards Pinot noir
Knudsen Vineyards is a thoughtfully assembled collection of vine blocks planted at different elevations, with different spacing, row orientation, and clonal types. This wine is composed by blending equal parts of wines produced from eight distinct blocks of Knudsen Vineyard, each contributing elements which combine to assemble this complex and balanced wine.
Deep ruby red hues with rich underlying spice and dark fruit aromatics. Youthful and bold with a textural pallet showing gripping tannins, firm acidity and mouth coating structure. Hints of tangerine peel and chocolate ganache are present while flavors of cola and ginger spice continue to open up as the wine aerates. This is a beautiful contrast from recent vintages, with a savory umami sensation that teases your tastebuds and suggests the potential for long cellaring time. Decant this wine at least 1 hour prior to drinking if you open early. Otherwise, this wine will easily age for 9-11 years in a properly controlled cellar.
FAMILY SERIES
Estate Grown
LIVE Certified
Salmon Safe
ACCOLADES
Double Gold – SavorNW Wine Awards
93 – Wine Enthusiast
93 – Wine & Spirits
Appellation Oregon | Willamette Valley | Dundee Hills
Alcohol 13.8%
Soil Jory
Brix 23.4
Oak French, 20% new
pH 3.55
TA 5.6
Cases 400
DOUBLE GOLD – SavorNW Wine Awards
93 – Wine Enthusiast
“Winemaker Nate Klostermann has nailed this one perfectly. The pinpoint fruit flavors conjoin raspberry, spicy cranberry and Bing cherry. The aging in 20% new French oak adds a touch of toast and could benefit from further bottle age. What is especially lovely is the way the wine coats the palate, the highlights of baking spices and the soft, silky tannins. Drink with pleasure immediately or age a bit longer to bring out all of the depth and detail.”
93 – Wine & Spirits
“Foresty and bright, this wine feels plump with its scents of dark cherry and lush, juicy red plum. With air a firm minerality steps into frame the fruit, lending contour and dusty grip.”
The 2018 growing season was nearly ideal. The spring was relatively mild, the summer was hot and dry and then it cooled a bit the second half of August and into September. Harvest commenced in early September and lasted through the end of the month, a relatively long harvest season. The yield was lower than last year while quality was consistently high. Also, because of the cooler late growing season, the grapes had considerable hangtime to achieve optimal physiological ripeness before picking.