Torrential rains in the second half of September threw a change-up to many Willamette Valley winemakers in 2013, but winemaker Melissa Burr and vineyard manager Rob Schultz worked in tandem to create a splendid reserve Pinot Noir from select blocks across Bill Stoller’s 190 acres of vines. Her barrel program of 30 percent new oak — a bit less than in 2012 – with clonal selections of Dijon 115, 667 and 777 with Pommard and Wädenswil. Red fruit aromas lead with dusty cherry, dark strawberry and raspberry with cola notes. The drink is rich, bold and juicy with dark cranberry and red currant. A bite of blueberry looms on the midpalate, leading to a balanced finish of vanilla, cherry pipe tobacco and a dusting of baking spices. While it’s designed to age, enjoy in the meantime with filet mignon, grilled salmon or soft cheeses. And unfortunately, production was off 600 cases from the prior vintage.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 1,655 cases
Alcohol: 13%
We still have a bottle of the Stoller 2013 Family Estate 2013 Reserve Pint Noir. Is is past the time to drink it? Do you have a ‘range’ of drinkability rating that might help me know if I should crack it open for the new year or not?
Greetings, Dee and Brian.
A number of publications view the vintage of Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley as the cusp of hold/ready to drink.
https://www.winespectator.com/vintage-charts/region/oregon
https://www.wineenthusiast.com/newsletter-signup/2020-vintage-chart/download/2020_Vintage_Chart.pdf
So it would seem that your bottle is just about to enter its prime drinking range.
And here is the link on the Stoller site for some technical info on that prized bottle of yours.
https://www.stollerfamilyestate.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SFE_2013_RSPN_Tech_Sheet.pdf
Cheers,
Eric