SuNu Pinot Noir 2019, Willamette Valley, Oregon

“SUNU Willamette Valley is a snapshot of multiple vineyard sites, clonal selections and winemaking techniques and represents the marine sedimentary soils which we find so compelling in Northern Oregon. It’s a blend of each of our blocks, with individual barrels selected based on their early approachability and youthful generosity. An absolutely incredible value, it’s elegant, complex and unmistakably Willamette Valley.” Fresh and vibrant, the 2018 SUNU is a brilliant ruby color, showing intense red fruit aromas of strawberry and bing cherry, offset by forest floor, baking spice and mandarin zest. The palate is elegant with an uncanny sense of concentration to the cranberry and passionfruit flavors that emerge. The silky tannins, along with bright acidity, provide support to the long, building finish. Twenty-two years ago, Betz Family Winery was founded with a basic tenet: search ceaselessly for the highest quality vineyard sites, pay attention to every detail in the vineyard, then give time in the cellar for slow evolution of each parcel’s unique characteristics. The French have a saying for this emphasis on vineyard as the primary engine of wine quality and character, ‘Sous Nous,’ which means ‘under us.’ We believe that the soul of our wine is not in the cellar…it’s under us in the jumbled mixture of soil and vine.