100% Pinot Noir

McMinnville AVA, Oregon

The intensely fruited core of plum, blackberry and raspberry is complemented by a lovely vein of salinity and just a hint of dried herbs with a firm acid backbone. 13.1%

Winemaker Robert Brittan, a wine industry veteran with the experience of over 45 harvests, has always had a passion for Pinot noir; a love affair that began in the 1980’s when he made several vintages under his Britt Hill label with fruit from Carneros. In 2004, Robert decided to leave Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa and start a Pinot noir project in the cool climate of the northern Willamette Valley.

The Basalt Block, a seven-acre south-facing bowl at the heart of our hillside vineyard, is planted primarily to Pinot noir selections 777 and Pommard. This part of the vineyard has the most exposure to the ancient, fractured marine basalts that underlie the entire property. Direct interaction between vine roots and base geology produces the truest expression of site: in our case, savory, mineral-driven, red-fruited wines with pronounced acidity.