Belle Pente Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton District 06
The Belle Pente Yamhill Carlton Pinot noir 06 is made with fruit from the winery's own estate vineyard, located in the Yamhill Carlton AVA. Deceptively light in color, it fills the nose and mouth with focused fresh fruit, herbs, and spice. it is a wine of unusual complexity and quality for the price.
In the nose, there's delicate scents of red raspberry and red cherry blossoms, with a hint of thyme. Tasting the wine, there's fresh red raspberry, cranberry, blueberry, a hint of sweet spice, and a refreshing, lilting finish that reiterates the red raspberry and blueberry qualities. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
From the winemaker: "This edition of our Yamhill-Carlton bottling is vastly superior to the 2005 version (because we didn't even make it in '05!) In 2006, the grapes for this wine came exclusively from our estate vineyard, mostly the younger vines on top of the hill that were planted in 1999. It is typically the first part of the vineyard that we harvest, picking early to retain the freshness and bright fruit that is often difficult to capture in warmer vintages, especially with our relatively warm site. This 2006 version delivers the ripe, luscious fruit of the vintage balanced by bright acidity. Light in color and texture, the wine features complex herbal and floral aromas accented by alluring cranberry & blueberry notes. It packs a lot of flavor into a lean, focused package, showing impressive concentration without being heavy. Enjoy this fresh little gem today and over the next few years."
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PREVIOUS VINTAGE TASTING NOGES
From the winery: "This is our second bottling of this wine, which highlights the more specific regional appellation of our new "home" AVA (American Viticultural Area). Like last year's version, this wine is produced exclusively from grapes grown on our estate vineyard, mostly the very young vines on the top of the hill planted in 1999. Once again it provides a great introduction to the sensory elements derived from the ancient sedimentary soils in the Yamhill-Carlton District. The aromas are deeper and darker than the Willamette Valley blend, showing more blue/black fruits, along with some faint herbal/floral notes, and a distinct underlying minerality. There is also more structure, with ripe tannins balanced by sweet, sappy fruit. A very light oak regime (only 11% new, with the balance evenly divided between 1, 2, 3, & 4 year old barrels) allows the fruit to shine and the soils to sing. Great now, even better in 6 months."
