A decade ago, Matt Vuylsteke oversaw first the establishment of the Nistlers’ 12-acre Swede Hill Vineyard west of downtown Portland and then their winemaking team. Amaterra’s flagship Pinot Noir is an assemblage of four growing regions with three clones taking the lead — Dijon 115 (49%), Pommard (20%) and Wädensvil. Scents of cherry cola, brown sugar, mixed berries and anise funnel into a bright palate of raspberry and cassis that includes leather and tobacco. The complexity carries beyond the burst of blueberry and spice cookies at the close. Within its first year of Amaterra’s opening, a Portland Business Journal poll ranked the stunning on-premise restaurant among the city’s best, and the suggested pairing with this Platinum-winning Pinot Noir is executive chef Jami Flatt’s Oven-Roasted Salmon. Qualifying awards: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold), Sunset International (gold), McMinnville (double gold)
Rating: Platinum • 91 points
Production: 737 cases
Alcohol: 13.1%
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