Pike Road Wines 2014 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $19
Measured growth and skilled farming have led the multi-generation Campbell family of Elk Cove Vineyards down the path to a second label project such as their Pike Road, which predictably intersects price and quality with reliability. They named it for a scenic country road in the Yamhill-Carlton American Viticultural Area, and this Pinot Noir is pulled from six estate vineyards as well as sites such as Shea, Fairsing and Olenik. And it’s no tank wine. Rather, its life in French oak barrels spanned 10 months, making for a remarkably extracted Pinot Noir with lovely dark blue fruit aromas hinting at black currant and blueberry with notes of white pepper and porcini mushroom. The concentration of fruitiness leads with flavors of blueberry taffy and pomegranate acidity, a transition to affable blueberry skin tannins and capped by savory black olive and cinnamon powder.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 9,000 cases
Alcohol: 13.5%
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