Evesham Wood Pinot noir "La Grive Bleue" 09

A little tight when first opened, the shell quickly melts into dark cherry and berry notes that take on an irresistible silky-creaminess on day two. A resinous thread propels the finish. La Grive Bleue is made from the younger vines (if you call 17 year-old vines young) in Evesham's estate vineyard, Le Puits Sec, which are certified organic. Highly recommended and very limited - only 200 cases made.

Traditionally viewed by the winery as their "young vine" Pinot noir, the vines are now over fifteen years old. We're not sure if Erin will make this wine in future vintages, as he puts more of the grapes into the Puit Sec. For now, this is a smaller production than past years.

2008 Vintage Tasting Notes

Evesham Wood La Grive Bleue Pinot noir 08 - Lush, juicy, perfumed and expressive. Silky red fruits, delicate herbs and mint, and warm spice. Always a limited wine, the 2008 was a low-yielding year so this is very limited. From the twelve year-old, northeast block of Evesham Wood's organically certified, dry farmed estate vineyard. - Marcus

2007 Vintage Tasting Notes

Made from Evesham Wood's organically-farmed estate vineyard, the 07 La Grive Bleue is filled with forest scents, brambly raspberries, dried herbs, and cinnamon. Elegantly styled, it's a perfect Pinot noir to have with food. For fans of subtle, graceful wines, this is an outstanding value. - Marcus

Winemaker's notes: "Once referred to as our young-vine estate pinot bottling, now with 14 years of vine age, we’ve decided to continue producing this wine separately from our Le Puits Sec pinot. This is due to the distinctive alluvial soil in this section of the vineyard and to the different clones of the variety (Dijon #777 and #114) that are unique to the parcel. In 2007, this was probably the ripest estate fruit we harvested. The resulting wine’s aroma and flavor shows a brighter cherry and strawberry component that is more typical of the cooler 2007 vintage.

Although this doesn’t have the concentration of its 2006 counterpart, the texture on the palate is surprisingly broad and round for the vintage - an elegant and silky rendition of our estate pinot noir that one need not wait to enjoy. It was aged for 15 months in French oak barrels (15% new), and bottled without fining or filtration. Certified organically grown grapes. 300 cases produced."