Aubin Cellars Verve Dundee Hills Pinot noir 06
Made by Ray Walsh of Capitello Wines.
"13.5% alc., 150 cases. Yields 1.9 tons per acre average. 100% de-stemmed but not crushed. Fermented in 2 ton French oak open top fermenter. Manual punch downs. Minimal cold soak and average cuvaison of 12 days. Aged 18 months in 40% new Rousseau and Saint- Martin barrels. Bottled unfined and aged ahttp://www.northwest-wine.com/media/en-US/buttons/save_changes.gifn additional 5 months in bottle. · Aromas of red cherries, strawberries and smoky oak. The flavors echo the aromas. Light, elegant, soft and smooth with a good spark of acidity. A bit dilute which is reflective of this vintage in Oregon. Decent, but not nearly as impressive as the 2006 version of this wine." - Rusty Gaffney, Pinotfile
In 2006, Aubin Cellars made one Pinot noir, a blend of fruit from Momtazi and Stoller Vineyards. In 2007, they made two Pinots, one from each vineyard source.
Verve 2006 Dundee Hills Pinot noir: "The nose is quite pleasant featuring aromas of strawberries and red raspberries, a touch of good barnyard and a nice oak spin. Delicious darker red fruit and pomegranate flavors saturate the palate with a sidecar of oak and a touch of brown sugar. Juicy with refreshing acidity, gossamer tannins and a silky mouth feel. Very enjoyable." - PinotFile, The Prince of Pinot
"This vibrant wine comes from 115 and 777 clone vines in the sustainably farmed Stoller Vineyard located in the Dundee Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley. The volcanic red clay and loam soil of this specific site is very appropriate for Pinot Noir. The restrained Burgundy winemaking techniques used for this younger vine Pinot Noir enhance the richness and complexity of what is inherently an elegant and pretty wine. The gentle winemaking also preserves the wine’s bright red fruit characters that range from cherry to pomegranate to cranberry--combined with a subtle earthiness and silky texture. The 2006 Verve Dundee Hill will match wonderfully with lighter meat such as chicken or duck, and fish such as salmon." - the winery
2003 Vintage tasting Notes
This Pinot Noir greets the taster with rich aromas of blackberry, cassis, and bright raspberry fruits, while also offering the complexity of the oak, floral and earth tones.
In the mouth, a full display of rich berries and up front tannins coat the mouth with silky-velvet texture. Intense blackberry raspberry and chocolate flavors combined to fill out the mid pallet followed by oak spice and berry taste that linger on the finish.
Made by Ray Walsh, who was winemaker at King Estate from 1993-2005, Ray shows that his winemaking skills extend to the red varietals with this balanced, rich wine that makes good use of ripe grapes in a hot year.
New Zealand winemaker Ray Walsh joined King Estate in 1995.
