Belle Pente Murto Vineyard Pinot noir 08

Review:

2008 Tanzer - 92 points - Bright ruby-red. Intense red berry and Asian spice aromas, with a sexy potpourri quality and a hint of woodsmoke. Deeply pitched red and dark berry flavors show impressive energy and lift, picking up notes of star anise and cinnamon on the back half. Packs a punch but comes off as lithe, with very good finishing clarity and spicy persistence. Drinkable now but balanced to age." - Josh Raynolds

Complex spicy, earthy, brambly aromas lead to a fresh, focused palate dripping with medium-ripe red fruit flavors over silky, polished tannins. An absolutely classic Dundee Hills Pinot Noir!

Although this wine has a youthful exuberance that makes it pretty attractive now, it should become even more interesting with a few years in the cellar. - the winery

2007 Vintage Tasting Notes

Don't underestimate the subtleties of the best 2007 Pinots. The Murto might not blast your buds the moment it's opened - it's delicately complex and understated, a wine that lingers in memory, with a character both satisfying and a bit mysterious.

Avalon Review - After swirling the glass to open the wine, classic Pinot aromas of rose petal, blackberry and raspberry, plus a whisper of red cherry and currant filled the bowl. Tasting, I was immediately struck by the texture - silky and responsive, playing well with flavors of blackberry, bramble, fresh earth, and subtle spices. Still a bit tight, it opens slowly in the glass and the fresh, lively fruit expands with increasing appeal as tannins recede. There's enough structure here for cellaring 5-8 years. - Avalon

From the winery -

For many of our longtime customers, Belle Pente and Murto are almost synonymous. We've bottled wine from Mike and Robin Murto's terrific Dundee Hills vineyard since our first vintage in 1996, and it's been a mainstay of our portfolio ever since.

Like the mailman, Murto always delivers, and it did not shy from the task in 2007. Complex spicy, earthy, brambly aromas lead to a fresh, focused palate dripping with medium-ripe red fruit flavors over silky, polished tannins. An absolutely classic Dundee Hills Pinot Noir!

Although this wine has a youthful exuberance that makes it pretty attractive now, it should become even more interesting with a few years in the cellar.

After the appropriate aeration very pretty red and blue berry fruit, spice and hints of plum emerge to reveal delicious, round and nicely dense medium-bodied flavors that possess a sappy texture and excellent depth and length. The overall impression is one of mildly higher ripeness compared to the Belle Pente Vineyard if a touch less elegance. A qualitative choice. - Burghound 91 points

2006 Vintage Tasting Notes

Murto Vineyard Pinot has seduced wine lovers across the country with it's clean earthiness, bright red fruit, and intriguing, unique spiciness. It is often described by others as "sublimely Burgundian".

A standout of the vintage, drinking beautifully now, but with the balance and finesse of a wine you'll want to cellar and bring out for celebrations for ten years.

From the winery:

Warmer vintages are especially kind to higher elevation sites like Murto, allowing the grapes to attain more ripeness and concentration than in cooler years. This was indeed the case in 2006, with perhaps the most intensely flavored fruit we've ever harvested from this site. Although relatively high in alcohol, the wine maintains it's balance and elegance.

True to the vintage, this wine can be enjoyed now, and should be (in moderation, of course)! But please, do yourself a favor, and buy enough to squirrel some away to enjoy four or five years from now. The vineyard has a great track record for aging gracefully, and mature Murto Pinots are real treats!

2006 Tanzer - 92 points - Dark red. Sexy aromas of black raspberry, candied cherry, black cardamom and mace. Open-knit red and dark berry flavors are impressively seamless, with slow-building floral and mineral notes adding complexity. Becomes spicier and sweeter on the finish, which is strikingly precise and very long. This wine's balance suggests that it will reward at least a few more years of patience.

This is the tenth year that we've made wine from the old Pommard block at Murto vineyard, which was planted in 1978. Since it's first release, our Murto vineyard Pinot has seduced wine lovers across the country with it's clean earthiness, bright red fruit, and intriguing, unique spiciness.

Warmer vintages are especially kind to higher elevation sites like Murto, allowing the grapes to attain more ripeness and concentration than in cooler years. This was indeed the case in 2006, with perhaps the most intensely flavored fruit we've ever harvested from this site. Although relatively high in alcohol, the wine maintains it's balance and elegance.

528 cases produced.

2004 Vintage Tasting Notes

2004 Wine Spectator - 91 points - Lovely, delicate stuff, with pretty strawberry and spice and a hint of passion fruit as the flavors linger against refined tannins on the lithe frame. The finish lingers beautifully. Drink now through 2012. 525 cases made. - H.S.

The winery says:

High-toned spicy, earthy, red fruit aromas explode from the glass and expand into round, sweet fruit on the palate. Elegant and focused, this wine promises even more depth and richness with a few years in the cellar.