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Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2015 Tall Poppy Single Block Designate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $75

By on July 21, 2019

On average, the Burger family has produced a Tall Poppy Pinot Noir just a third of the time since planting its first block of Pommard vines near McMinnville, Ore., in 1983. The historically warm 2015 vintage resulted in the 10th bottling, and the late Stephen Cary had this lot harvested on Sept. 16. By contrast, the “Outstanding!” 2012 Tall Poppy came off a month later – Oct. 14. Cary’s protégé, Ariel Eberle, carried this release from his penultimate vintage as winemaker, across the finish line in stunning fashion. Alluring aromas of pie cherry filling, dried strawberry and plum skins make their way onto a finesse-filled palate that’s smooth with blackcurrant jelly flavors with lingering brightness for a fetching finish. This past winter, it earned a double gold medal at the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, and it continues to show beautifully. Cary held this parcel of Pommard in such esteem that the Burgers fulfilled his request last summer to have a portion of his ashes sprinkled among those vines.

Rating: Outstanding!

Production: 350 cases

Alcohol: 13.7%

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About Great Northwest Wine

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.

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