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Willamette Valley Vineyards 2013 Vintage 40 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $45

By Great Northwest Wine on December 7, 2015

Bill Fuller planted Tualatin Estate Vineyards not far from Oregon’s capital city in 1973, and the acclaimed California winemaker’s first vintage from his Willamette Valley grapes came two years later. He stepped away from winemaking in 1997, but thanks to Willamette Valley Vineyards founder Jim Bernau, Fuller got back in the game in 2013 and this bottling celebrates the 40th anniversary of that planting. It’s obvious that he hasn’t lost his touch as this work with Pommard clones is a classic example of Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley, an ebullient offering of fresh cranberry sauce, strawberry-rhubarb compote, red currant and dusting of mocha powder. Its delicious balance of juicy acidity and sublime tannins make this a fun and easy drink that finishes with golden raspberry. And fortunately, this is an on-going project. This past September, he brought in fruit for the upcoming Vintage 42 wines. If you bring the bottle back to the Turner winery for recycling, you’ll get a dime for your conservation efforts.

Rating: Outstanding!

Production: 200 cases

Alcohol: 13%

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Articles authored by Great Northwest Wine are co-authored by Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue. In most cases, these are wine reviews that are judged blind by the Great Northwest Wine tasting panel.