One of the Oregon wine industry’s quintessential examples of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir finishes the 2023 calendar year by adding to its necklace of gold with a Platinum for the King family. Winemaker Brent Stone and longtime viticulturist Ray Nuclo, who racks up miles driving to check on the array of vineyards, play key roles each year in this bottling. Biodynamic estate Pinot Noir is more than a quarter of the final blend that’s centered on smashed Bing cherries, boysenberry, chervil and smoky cedar chips for a bright and delicately earthy finish. This is the 10th Platinum for Pinot Noir in the past five years for Stone and his team. Qualifying awards: San Francisco Chronicle (gold), Cascadia International (gold), Savor NW (gold)
Rating: Double Platinum • 95 points
Production: 37,000 cases
Alcohol: 13.5%
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