From: Ribbon Ridge, Willamette Valley, OR
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Critical Acclaim & Taste: 93 points Wine Spectator
"A wine with poise and presence, this Pinot is elegantly complex, with fresh cherry and raspberry flavors that have accents of tea and rose petal that glide on a long, polished finish. Drink now through 2031. " (11/2022)
Winemaker notes: It takes a tight rein to ride a headstrong young horse that loves to run. So it was with guiding Brick House Pinot Noir fermentations in 2021. All the sunshine and the warmth of the vintage packed every grape with more than enough of what it takes to make great wine. Thus, an exercise in restraint: picking early to preserve acidity, gentle pump overs instead of rigorous punch downs and then a careful selection of barrels to achieve a “Select” bottling of near perfect balance. Dark, brooding color, strawberry and crushed cranberry notes all with alcohol under 12.5%. We're sure you'll enjoy the ride!
Doug Tunnell, owner and winemaker of Brick House Vineyards, spent seventeen years as a foreign correspondent for CBS television news before returning to his native Oregon to become one of the state’s preeminent winemakers. In 1990, he bought 40 acres on the Chehalem Ridge. Today, 30 acres are currently under vines, and the winery is a 100% estate producer, growing all of their own fruit and making all of the wine on site. The vineyards have been certified organic for 25 years and are also certified Biodynamic by Demeter, a fact that Doug feels demonstrates his dedication to growing and making the best wines the land can offer.
When Mother Nature offers a bountiful year, they routinely bottle this entry level Pinot Noir. As the name implies, the “Select” is a selection of barrels representing all the vineyard blocks on the farm at the discretion of the winemaker.
