Oregon Pinot Noir!

A TO Z WINEWORKS

A to Z Wineworks is Oregon’s fastest growing winery. The business model is simple: to produce and market Oregon’s best wine values by eliminating unproductive fixed investment and unnecessary overhead. Moreover, the overwhelmingly variable nature of the costs enable them greater flexibility in adapting to shifts in the marketplace. Applying the adage that “everyone’s back office is someone else’s front office,” they concentrate producing the best wines possible.




Pinot Noir 2007   Bottle $ 16.99  Case $ 203.88


One of Oregon’s great-valued Pinot Noir. A to Z is in stock!

BRICK HOUSE

Doug Tunnell, owner/winemaker for Brick House Vineyards, spent seventeen years as a foreign correspondent for CBS television news before returning to his native Oregon to become one of the state's preeminent winemakers. In 1990, he bought forty acres on the Chehalem Ridge. Today, twenty-six acres are currently under vines. He has learned primarily from doing but relies on advice from friend and fellow winemaker Steve Doerner of Cristom Vineyards. Brick House produces Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Gamay Noir.






All Brick House wines are produced and bottled by hand on their 40 acre farm. They count on indigenous yeast fermentations and rarely have to count on cultured yeasts. The wines are rarely fined and never filtered. Brick House bottles the Cuvee du Tonnelier (or the Barrelmaker's Batch) as the finest expression of the estate's unique climate and terrain.

 Pinot Noir ‘Cuvee Tonnelier’ 2007 Bottle $ 38.99 Case $ 460.00


The 2007 Pinot Noir Cuvee de Tonnelier is 100% Pommard clone. Medium ruby-colored and super-fragrant, it displays aromas of cinnamon, clove, iron, cherry, and raspberry. This leads to an elegant, medium-bodied, sweetly fruited wine with succulent flavors (not so easy to achieve in 2007), good acidity, and a lengthy finish. Drink it from 2010 to 2017. (91) – The Wine Adsvocate.


Pinot Noir ‘Dijonnais’ 2007 Bottle $ 38.99 Case $ 460.00


The 2007 Pinot Noir Les Dijonnais is 100% Dijon clone bottled 6 months after the Cuvee de Tonnelier in March 2009. The bouquet displays sandalwood, violets, mineral, spice box, and assorted red fruits. More structured than its sibling, it has plenty of layered, ripe, savory fruit, excellent balance, potential complexity, and a long, pure finish. Drink it from 2011 to 2019. (92) – The Wine Advocate.

ST. INNOCENT WINERY

St. Innocent Winery was founded in May 1988 by Mark Vlossak, the current winemaker and president, and eight investors. Ten tons of grapes were crushed the first fall, producing 396 cases of still and 176 cases of sparkling wine. Production increased to full capacity of 6800 cases in 2004. The winery is located in Salem, Oregon, at the southeast corner of the Eola Hills, in the mid-Willamette valley.


St. Innocent produces small lot, handmade wines: seven single vineyard Pinot Noirs and a blended Pinot Noir called the Villages Cuvée, two Chardonnay from Dijon clone plantings, two Pinot Gris, and a Pinot Blanc.



St. Innocent is now located at its new winery at Zenith Vineyard.


I have been buying (and drinking) St. Innocent wines for over 15 years and the wines just keep getting better and better. Mark Vlossak is making great Oregon Pinot Noirs that are as true to the grape as they get. Are they Burgundy? Well, it is like asking is a Ferrari a Maserati. The wines are great wines from a different growing area. I tasted these wines a week ago and they are as good, if not better then their 2006 counterparts. The Momtazi just might be the best of the group with the Village Cuvee giving great value for Pinot lovers. The wine not to miss is the Pinot Blanc ‘Freedom Hill’. The wine has wonderful terroir, well-balanced acidity that carries the wine all the way through to the finish. – Alan Marschok.

 These wines are in stock!



Pinot Noir ‘Momtazi’ 2007 Bottle $ 39.50 Case $ 470.00


The 2007 vintage has not been reviewed as of yet.


The 2006 Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard is sourced from a biodynamically farmed site in McMinnville. It possesses the darkest fruit among all of the St. Innocent Pinots. Blue and black fruits dominate the nose and flavors and the wine has impressive structure, concentration, and grip for the vintage. Give it 3-4 years of additional bottle age and drink it from 2011 to 2019. (93) – The Wine Advocate.


Pinot Noir ‘Justice’ 2007 Bottle $ 47.99 Case $ 575.00


The 2007 Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard is dark ruby-colored (unusually so for the vintage) with an alluring bouquet of cinnamon, allspice, incense, rose petal, cherry, and cassis. This leads to a medium-bodied wine with intense spice and red fruit flavors, excellent ripeness, and exceptional length. It will be at its best from 2011 to 2019. (92) – The Wine Advocate.


Pinot Noir ‘Shea’ 2007 Bottle $ 37.50 Case $ 450.00


From the Willamette Valley’s best known vineyard, the 2007 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard has an expressive nose that was singing on the day I encountered it. Smoke, cola, cassis, and cherry aromas are followed by a smooth-textured, layered, sweetly-fruited, mouth-filling, medium-bodied wine with enough depth and structure to evolve for 2-3 years. It will provide pleasure through 2019. (91) – The Wine Advocate.


Pinot Noir ‘Village Cuvee’ 2007 Bottle $ 22.50 Case $ 270.00


The 2007 Pinot Noir Villager’s Cuvee is medium ruby-colored with a spicy bouquet of clove, cinnamon, and allspice. On the palate mineral notes, black cherry, and black raspberry flavors make an appearance. The wine has finesse and enough structure to drink well for 4-5 years. (88) – The Wine Advocate.


Pinot Blanc ‘Freedom Hill’ 2008 Bottle $ 17.99 Case $ 215.00


The 2008 Pinot Blanc Freedom Hill Vineyard was fermented and aged in 300-liter barrels. Light gold-colored, it offers up aromas of mineral, poached pear, and green apple. Flavorful and well-balanced, this lengthy effort will drink well for another 3 years. (90) – The Wine Advocate.





 

CRISTOM VINEYARDS

It was the promise of great wines that first drew Paul and Eileen Gerrie, owners of Cristom Vineyards, to Oregon. They conceived of a place where the succulent Pinot Noir grape could achieve its fullest expression - complex, hand crafted wines that are bold yet balanced: both powerful and elegant. Their wines evolve as they age, revealing ever grater richness and complexity with time. The abundance of soils and slopes in the hills of Oregon defined the Gerrie's vision of world class Pinot Noir.


Pinot Noir ‘Marjorie’ 2006 Bottle $ 45.99 Case $ 550.00


The 2006 Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard is sourced from a vineyard that predates the current ownership. Planted in the early ‘80s, it has low density spacing and has been attacked by phylloxera but the winery believes the old-vine character is worth preserving. It offers up complex spice notes, red and black fruits, and a concentrated sweetness on the palate. It has good structure but is slightly compressed in the finish. Two years in the bottle should round it out and it should continue to drink well through 2018. (91+) – The Wine Advocate.


Pinot Noir ‘Louise’ 2006 Bottle $ 45.99 Case $ 550.00


The 2006 Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard is medium ruby-colored with a superb bouquet of pain grille, mineral, cranberry, cherry, and rose petals. Layered and plush on the palate, it has loads of savory fruit, complex flavors, and a silky-smooth finish that lasts for 45-seconds. Give it 3-4 years in the cellar and drink it from 2012 to 2020. (92) – The Wine Advocate.


Pinot Noir ‘Mt Jefferson Cuvee’ 2007 Bottle $ 25.99 Case $ 310.00


Pinot Noir ‘Sommers Reserve’ 2006 Bottle $ 34.99 Case $ 415.00


The 2006 Pinot Noir Sommer Reserve is a barrel selection. Medium ruby-colored, it exhibits a spicy, toasty, red fruit perfume. This leads to a rich, dense, red fruit-dominated wine with a silky palate feel and a persistent, fruit-filled finish. Drink it over the next five years. (92) – The Wine Advocate.

KEN WRIGHT

Ken Wright Cellars was founded in 1993 and its first vintage was produced in 1994. Prior to creating Ken Wright Cellars, Ken founded Panther Creek Winery in 1986 and made wines there from 1986 through 1994. Located in rural Carlton, Oregon, Ken Wright Cellars is devoted to showcasing the inherent quality of selected vineyard sites. With a clarity and breadth that is unequaled by other varieties, the people at Ken Wright cellars believe Pinot Noir best expresses the character of these sites. Rather than stamping wine with a varietal trademark, they see Pinot Noir as a vehicle for conveying the aroma, flavor and texture of the location in which it is grown.


Pinot Noir ‘Freedom Hill’ 2008 Bottle $ 47.50 Lmtd.


Pinot Noir ‘Canary Hill’ 2008 Bottle $ 47.50 Lmtd.


Pinot Noir ‘Carter’ 2008 Bottle $ 47.50 Lmtd.


Pinot Noir ‘Guadalupe’ 2008 Bottle $ 47.50 Lmtd.


Pinot Noir ‘Shea’ 2008 Bottle $ 47.50 Lmtd.


Pinot Noir ‘McCrone’ 2008 Bottle $ 47.50 Lmtd.

SHEA VINEYARD

Shea Vineyard is owned by Dick Shea. It is a 200 acre vineyard in Yamhill County of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Shea sells grapes to some of Oregon's best wineries, and the vineyard has a reputation for producing some of the best Pinot Noirs in the world, from such winemakers as Ken Wright and Mike Etzel of Beaux Freres.






Wine Enthusiast October 2002 says: "Like Pisoni, Oregon grower Dick Shea has also started to bottle his own wine after his fruit gained notoriety. Shea planted the original 100-acre vineyard in 1988 and 1989 on its own roots, but has been systematically replanting with grafted vines over the past few years in response to phylloxera. And despite the hype over Dijon clones, Shea is sticking largely with Wäidenswil. “I like what it does in the Willakenzie soils that we have,” he says.


In 1996, Shea decided to start his own winery, and more than a decade later, Drew Voit is now making the wine to much acclaim. Voit was consulting with Domaine Serene before working at Shea. Now he has multiple clones (Pommard, Dijon and Wäidenswil) and multiple vineyard sites to work with. Dick Shea's vineyard is really two separated vineyards, and they have most clones planted. They use different blocks to blend into their main wine, the Estate Pinot, and then they have single block wines as well.


Pinot Noir ‘Estate’ 2007 Bottle $ 37.99 Case $ 455.88


The 2007 Pinot Noir Estate, a blend of 17 parcels and all of the clones grown on the property. Dark ruby-colored, it offers up a fragrant perfume of smoke, incense, earth notes, black cherry, and black raspberry. On the palate it is already exhibiting complexity with its amalgam of spice notes, succulence, black fruits, and depth. It will evolve for 2-3 years and provide prime drinking from 2011 to 2019. (91) – The Wine Advocate.


Pinot Noir ‘Homer Cuvee’ 2007 (6B) Bottle $ 76.99 Case $ 461.94


The 2007 Pinot Noir Homer is a selection of the top 13 barrels in the cellar (out of 205). Dark ruby-colored, it sports a slightly brooding bouquet of sandalwood, incense, damp earth, black cherry, and plum. It is the richest, densest wine in the collection as well as the best balanced. This silky-textured, deep, lengthy effort will evolve for 4-6 years and drink well through 2022. It is a candidate for wine of the vintage. (94) – The Wine Advocate.


Pinot Noir ‘East Hill’ 2007 Bottle $ 54.99 Case $ 659.88


The 2007 Pinot Noir East Hill is more deeply colored, has greater density and more structure than the Estate cuvee. Fragrant aromas of balsam wood, violets, mineral, and assorted black fruits lead to a medium to full-bodied wine with outstanding depth and concentration. It will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring (unusually long for this vintage) and drink well from 2012 to 2022. (92) – The Wine Advocate.