2019 Dundee Hills Original Vines Pinot Noir

2019 was “an incredible vintage,” Jason Lett says. Oregon summers are usually warm and dry, but in 2019, temperatures were cooler than normal, and the summer was punctuated by unusual episodes of rain—similar, he says, to the growing season in Burgundy. The scattered rains helped drive ripeness and maintain natural acidity, although controlling powdery mildew was difficult, and clean fruit was imperative. Interestingly, the 2019 harvest began on September 24, the same day that the family harvested their first grapes in 1970. “South Block in general is one of Eyrie’s oakier wines,” Jason quips—the 2019 Pinot Noir South Block Original Vines was crafted with just 10% new oak. Though it’s the highest amount ever used on this wine, it does nothing to obscure its especially pure, transparent character. Scents of Griotte cherry, crisp red plum, fresh tobacco, rooibos tea and Angostura bitters emerge from the glass. The light-bodied palate is concentrated and refined, featuring luxurious waves of crunchy red fruit and spice. It’s structured by silky tannins and vibrant acidity and has a long, nuanced finish. It will be long lived in the cellar.