Beaux Freres Upper Terrace Pinot noir 2009

Upper Terrace has emerged as Beaux Freres' cult wine. It sells out the quickest despite being the most expensive of their three bottlings. Why? Because it's a blockbuster!

Richer and darker than the Estate, the 2009 Upper Terrace oozes with kirsch, dollops of black cherry and currant, and a deft finesse from start to finish. Ideally, you'd cellar the 09 for at least 4 years and up to 10. - Marcus

From the winery: Medium ruby hued, this wine exhibits notes of red currants and sandy, loamy undertones. Medium bodied, spicebox, Christmas fruitcake and herbs. ere is a depth and richness that we normally find in this vineyard planted to Dijon clones. is vintage shows a different side of this vineyard one of elegance and light – the fruit profile is more one of red fruit than the normal dark fruit that we expect. Still complex and slow to reveal itself as this cuvée always is we are still enjoying watching this wine unwind and open up. Right now it is simply giving us. - Mike Etzel

2009 Wine Spectator - 94 points - Taut and focused, this offers a cascade of cinnamon, clove, cherry, raspberry and guava flavors, coming together harmoniously against refined tannins. The finish glides easily. Lingers and lingers. Drink now through 2019. 600 cases made. H.S.

2008 Vintage Tasting Notes

Best vintage of the decade, and one of the best wines from it. Blackberry, black raspberry, a gorgeous Pinot with layers and layers of elegant flavors. It's a bit tight, as it should be for cellaring. Drink this wine through 2030 for a sublime experience. - Jean

2008 Wine Spectator - 95 points - Elegant, refined and beautifully focused, layering its red cherry, black cherry, blueberry and currant fruit into a seamless package without tremendous weight. The finish picks up cream, chalk and distinctly mineral notes, and this just doesn't quit. Harmonious and complex. Drink now through 2020. 900 cases made".

Given the clonal material and exposition this wine should always be different from the Beaux Freres vineyard despite an essentially identical upbringing in the vineyard and the cellar. True to our expectations the Upper Terrace shows a striking difference in personality and demeanor from the Beaux Freres. The color is a healthy dark plum to ruby purple. It is very Cotes du Nuits-like with its blue-black fruit and the underlying forest floor and floral character. - the winery

2007 Vintage Tasting Notes

Darkest of the Beaux Freres Pinots, the Upper Terrace serves up an intense scent of black cherry and raspberry, mingling with violet, dried rose and forest floor. Velvety and sensual in texture, deep flavors of creamy black cherry and spice box linger in a long, pure finish.

The most intense and richly nuanced of Beaux Freres' 2007 Pinots, Mike suggests waiting two years to drink - and the wine will continue to evolve for 15 years. - Avalon

2007 Tanzer - 92 points - Deep red with a bright rim. Pungent aromas of red and dark berries, Asian spices and musky herbs. Broad, fleshy dark berry flavors gain freshness with air and pick up notes of allspice and candied rose. Manages to be both rich and lively, finishing with excellent energy and lingering spiciness. This really hangs onto the palate. More serious than the Beaux Freres Vineyard bottling, but I marginally prefer that wine's liveliness."

This Pinot Noir from all Dijon clones is often much darker than the Beaux Frères Vineyard. The 2007 Upper Terrace is very similar to the dark ruby color of the 2007 Beaux Frères Vineyard. That is where the similarities end.

Though it is the most aromatically backward of our three 2007 offerings, it hints of earth, spice, forest floor and underbrush intertwined with dark black cherries and raspberries. On the palate one can detect a fuller style of wine with more structure, muscle and density than the other two cuvées.

At this time it is showing less of its outright seduction and charm, nevertheless, there is a lot going on in this wine which always reminds us of a grand cru from the northern end of Burgundy's Côtes du Nuits. The tannins are silky but the weight of the wine is clearly more dramatic. This wine will benefit from one to two years of bottle age before consuming and should evolve effortlessly for at least 15 years. - the winery

2006 Vintage Tasting Notes

This Pinot shows its brooding nature again. Rich, ripe Rainier cherries, black berries and boysenberries begin to show with air. A sexy hint of truffled earth builds with big black fruits and bits of bramble. The wine takes on an intense richness that matches substantial foods such as grilled meats and hearty stews. There's an intense richness to the wine, which almost hides the structured tannins that will allow for more than a decade of aging. Still, it's hard to keep from sipping the 06 Upper Terrace now! - Avalon

Wine Spectator 94 Points and Wine Spectator "HOT" Wine in Wine Spectator "Insider" for May 7, 2008: - Elegant and refined, with a plush underpinning to the luscious raspberry, blackberry and black plum fruit, shaded with subtle hints of peppermint and a whiff of char as the finish sails on smoothly. Drink now through 2016. From Oregon. - H.S.

The Upper Terrace Vineyard has a character all its own. Even though it is a neighbor to the Beaux Freres Vineyard, and shares both soil type and exposure, Upper Terrace is planted exclusively to Dijon clones; we believe this gives the wine a darker fruit character, with aromas of forest floor and spring flowers.... recent tastings show an impressively deep ruby/purple color, with boysenberry, blackberry, and black currant emerging along with spring flowers and a slightly restrained yet intense bouquet.

This full-bodied wine is a very noble expression of Pinot Noir that tastes as if it emerged from a cooler climate than that of our Newberg, Oregon farm. Its personality is forming beautifully, and while we find the wine less exuberant and flamboyant in its youth than the Beaux Freres Vineyard, it is our belief that with a few years of bottle age it will round into maturity. This wine should age effortlessly for 15 or more years. - the winery

2005 Vintage Tasting Notes

A big bruiser of a Pinot, this is co-owner Robert Parker's favorite of the Pinots made by Beaux Freres. It was also the most closed of the three 2005 wines when tasted in January 2007. The darkest, meatiest, most intensely flavored of the Beaux Freres wines, this wine has the longest potential life in the cellar. It's a wine for serious collectors who don't mind laying a wine down for ten years or more.

The nose of the Upper Terrace 05 is restrained, with a hint of black fruit and rich, creamy toast. Flavors begin with a gush of sweet black fruit, toast, and silky tannins with a bit of a grip. An Avalon employee said at the tasting "there's just the most there there". It's intense, and very different from the Estate, which seems more sweet red fruit driven in comparison to this massive Pinot. The Upper Terrace is aged on lees in 80-90% new Francois Freres new oak barrels, with medium to heavy toast and some toasted heads. - Avalon

2005 Wine Spectator - 92 points - More recent plantings of Dijon clones at the top of the estate vineyard produce this Pinot with a plush feel, despite its open, velvety texture. It offers black cherry, raspberry and subtle spice flavors, finishing with a fleshiness that makes it seductive. More up-front than the Beaux Freres vineyard bottling, but it should hum well for quite a few years. Drink now through 2015. - H.S.

Winery Tasting Notes

The 2005 Upper Terrace has much of the Beaux Freres Vineyard's character, but exhibits a deeper color, more depth, and even more color and richness. Unmistakable floral and forest floor components clearly suggest a grand cru red Burgundy from the Cotes de Nuits, notably Vosne-Romanee or Flagey-Echezeaux.

We believe that the floral and forest components of the wine come from the Dijon clone Pinot noir planted in the Upper Terrace, which are the best materials from Burgundy, and seem to be best suited for Oregon's cooler climates. With these clones planted in the steeply sloped vineyard, this wine always comes across as meatier, richer, and fuller than the Beaux Freres Estate cuvee, which is largely a blend of Pommard and Wadenswil clones.

The wines from the Upper Terrace exhibit a Burgundian aromatic profile and the vineyard tends to crop lower almost naturally, so the wine seems to have even more density, and richness than the Beaux Freres Estate. This 2005 will benefit from 1-3 years of bottle age, and be drinkable over the following 12-15+ years.

2004 Vintage Tasting Notes

From the winery:

Our Upper Terrace Vineyard is planted on a steep Southeast facing slope to Pinot Noir Dijon clones 113, 114, 115, 667,777 on three different root stocks. The site has sedimentary soils and a slightly higher elevation than the original Beaux Freres Vineyard.

The 2004 Upper Terrace is the richest, potentially most complex and densest of our offerings this vintage. It is much sexier out of the gate than the blockbuster 2002, and is more evolved aromatically than the large scaled 2003. The bouquet is a combination of black raspberry, blackberry, and deep, dark, broodingly smoky black cherries. As it sits in the glass subtle hints of mountain flowers emerge. In the mouth striking richness, intensity as well as suppleness make it the most accessible Upper Terrace yet produced.

2003 Vintage Tasting Notes

Scents of black cherry, spice, and saddle leather lead to hugely concentrated flavors of sweet plum, cherry, chocolate, and spice, lots of depth and complexity while sustaining a fresh, lush quality. The flavors of plummy chocolate continue in the long finish, with a hint of white pepper rising from fine grained tannins. The complexity, balance and sophistication of this wine makes it a world class Pinot noir and a candidate for cellaring for 5-8 years. Remarkably good in the face of a difficult vintage, this 2003 wine sets a high standard for others to match. - Avalon

2003 Wine Spectator - 94 points - Amazingly supple, graceful, and focused, balancing raspberry, blackberry, plum, and spicy, smoky elements into a seamless whole, all wrapped in fine tannins and lingering on the finish beautifully. Drink now through 2013. - H.S.