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NEW RELEASE!
2012
Argyle
Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley
"Lithe, with a nice transparency to the polished texture and the tea leaf-accented cherry and herb flavors, sliding easily into a graceful finish. Drink now through 2017. 26,685 cases made. -HS" (WS)
Wine Spectator: 90 pts.
Argyle Pinot Noir - 2012 is honest and unmingled.
The 2012 vintage for Pinot Noir made itself. Fermented in small lots, and blended for purity, this year's blend croons of ripe, red raspberry, morello cherry and a hint of backwoods spice. No other word can describe the palate but lush. Gentle, slightly firm tannin beneath, the acid sings true and long. Enjoy early, or sit on it a few years for
enhanced nuance.
VINTAGE NOTES:
We could say that "Mother Nature made the wines in the 2012 Vintage. Bloom and fruit-set traveled from normal to well below normal. Cold weather and some negative effects from hail drove yields generally down. But, that can be a GOOD thing as smaller clusters and good dry weather leads to ripe fruit.
The key challenge to the successful farmer this year was the fact that the period of July through October was the driest since record keeping began in the late 1800's. Potential desiccation was further exacerbated by very dry, east winds coming out of Eastern Oregon & Washington's high desert. This wind period was the longest in memory in
Argyle's 27 years of Oregon winemaking. Vines already starved for moisture will not fair well under these late fall conditions.
For us, a balanced crop and belief in the weather forecast, caused us to give our vines a nice drink of water just before the east wind event. This allows the vines to continue to photosynthesize and for the berries to stay plump and fruity. At Argyle, we were allowed to pick fruit under lovely fall sunshine at a leisurely pace with perfectly 'dialed-in' maturity, excellent ripeness & fresh natural acidity.
If I had to compare this vintage to past ones, I'd probably pick a 50/50 blend of 2000 and 2008. Across the board, all wines white or red turned out extraordinary quality!
(Winery Notes)
only $19.95 |