2019 Montinore Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Oregon

Dark plums, blueberries, crushed stones, cloves and chocolate orange on the nose. Tangy and chewy, with a medium body and tight, slightly dry tannins. Spicy finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.

 92 points jamessuckling.com

The Reserve Pinot Noir is one of the estate’s flagship wines, expressing the season and its best Pinot fruit. In 2019, three clones (Dijon, Pommard and Wadenswil) from four of the vineyard’s most prized blocks made the cut. Each block was destemmed and fermented separately in small open-top steel vessels to ensure full expression of clone and terroir. The final blend was assembled after maturation, which took place in French barriques (38% new) for 10 months.
 
The 2019 season was a challenging but classic Oregon vintage: cool, fresh and long, with mild spring conditions followed by a warm summer that finished quite crisp. This resulted in intensely concentrated Pinot Noir berries with lovely natural acidity and structural frame. In the words of winemaker Stephen Webber: “The 2019 Reserve Pinot Noir is a great representation of the best of the vineyard and a reflection of a delightful vintage.” As with previous releases, this engaging wine gets better with air, so don’t be afraid to decant and allow this deep, brooding, complex Pinot Noir to unfurl in the glass.