This spring, Wine Press Northwest magazine named Knudsen Vineyards its Oregon Winery to Watch, and Cal Knudsen’s kids continue their award-winning collaboration with Argyle winemaker Nate Klostermann. (Earlier this year, the Knudsen 2014 Chardonnay earned our top rating.) This latest example of Pinot Noir off the iconic 228-acre Dundee Hills estate is a cross-section of four blocks with clones 115, 667 and 777, and the 15-month program of 25% new French oak makes the nose quite showy as cocoa powder and toast waft among notes of raspberry jam, dusty dried cherry, orange peel and purple lavender. Its suave structure reveals flavors of Marionberry, black cherry and pink strawberry, leading to a long and juicy finish of red currant and Montmorency cherry.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 560 cases
Alcohol: 14.1%
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