King Estate, Pinot Noir 2021, Willamette Valley, Oregon

“Fruit from our own Biodynamic® estate is carefully blended with that of other like-minded vineyard partners to make our flagship Pinot Noir from a strong Oregon vintage. With this wine, discover why Oregon’s reputation for outstanding Willamette Valley Pinot Noir grows stronger over time.” This is a beautifully complex wine with elegant fruit and structure. Classic Pinot Noir aromas and flavors of dark fruit – black raspberry, marionberry, blueberry and ripe dark cherry – are joined by accents of black tea, clove, vanilla, toast, orange zest and forest floor. Supple tannins and bright acidity on the palate lead to a coating finish with lingering spiciness. Winemaking: Whole clusters are destemmed then allowed to cold oak for 48 hours with daily pump overs. Some whole clusters are left intact in select lots for additional complexity. During fermentation, 10% of juice is bled off using the Saignée method for further concentration of flavor and color. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel open top tanks with daily punch downs. Aged in French oak barrels for 10 months. Vintage notes: The Pacific Northwest experienced a relatively warm winter with below average precipitation. Dry conditions did not abate until September and October, making 2021 one of the driest growing seasons on record and adding to ongoing drought worries. The growing season started out cool, followed by wide fluctuations in temperatures in April and May. The most significant weather event came in late June when a heat dome settled over the region for three days, breaking all-time temperature records by as much as 10 degrees. Fortunately, plant growth was far enough along that damage was minimal.