Roots "Estate" Pinot noir 09

2009 Wine Advocate - 90 points - The single vineyard Pinot Noirs begin with the 2009 Pinot Noir Roots Estate Vineyard. Cedar, spice box, floral notes, cherry, and boysenberry aromas inform the nose of a succulent, elegant, nicely proportioned wine that will provide pleasure for another 5-7 years. - Jay Miller

2009 Wine Spectator - 90 points - Ripe, open-textured and deftly balanced, playing its red berry and cinnamon flavors against a layer of creamy oak, finishing with refinement. Drink now through 2015. 184 cases made. - H.S.

2008 Vintage Tasting Notes

The flagship Roots Pinot, from Chris and Hillary Berg's 6-acre estate vineyard. Focused and fresh, the Estate drips with licorice, rose, dark raspberries and cherries. A highly recommended, seriously cellar-worthy Pinot from one of our favorite winemakers. Chris' "biggest" batch of Pinots, still only 200 cases made.

2007 Vintage Tasting Notes

In our opinion, the 2007 Roots Pinots are just about the best of the vintage in this price range.

Chris and Hilary Berg bought land on Ribbon Ridge before prices grew out of hand for a young couple just getting started. They planted their 6 acre estate vineyard in 2000 and we've tasted each vintage since the first, the 2003.

In quality and complexity, 2007 is this wine's breakout year. The 07 Estate Pinot noir has moved the vineyard from good to cult status. The Roots Estate Pinot is a wine to grab now, and to watch for in coming years.

The wine is all about sweet blackberries and cream with a velvet texture. Well integrated tannins, long finish with lots of intense blackberry and black raspberry. Hints of white pepper and spice. About 100 cases produced.

"Pleasing scents of, strawberries, tutti-fruity and spice. Substantial red cherry and red berry core with an underpinning of earthiness, spice and Dr. Pepper. Minimum dusty tannins make the wine very approachable now. Seems like a Yamhill-Carlton wine masquerading as a Dundee Hills wine. This wine really brings it for the price of a Jackson and is recommended." - Rusty Gaffney, Pinotphile.com

2006 Vintage Tasting Notes

Big and earthy on the nose and opens to a deep concentrated red cherry on the palate. Bits of bramble and fruit leather combine in this very lush 06 Pinot. Chewy tannins on the finish will give this wine nice ageability. This wine finds a nice balance of earth, fruit and tannin. 270 Cases produced.

2005 Vintage Tasting Notes

Nose: Scents of sweet red raspberry, cranberry, and cherry mingle with an intense floral note, mostly violets with hints of rose petal.

Flavors: In the mouth, flavors of fresh sweet red raspberry, blackberry, and red cherry dominate, with notes of cinnamon, barrel spice, and a subtle earthiness. The wine is juicy, with great balanced acidity, sweetness, and subtle tannins.

Finish: The finish reiterates the fruit and spices, and adds a distinct sense of dried thyme and culinary herbs, entwined in barrel spice.

An Estate wine from Chris Berg, who also offers his own Racine and Klee wines.

2004 Vintage Tasting Notes

Excellent value! Chris Berg's small Estate vineyard across the valley from Ribbon Ridge, made from young vines, showing a lot of depth and nice flavors. This wine has quite a following with Avalon customers. It's a lot of quality for the price.

What a yummball! This is a big, fruity, spicy crowdpleaser. A light nose of rose and floral/herbal notes mingles with hints of pie cherry fruit. Flavors are of sweet red fruit, black raspberry and blackberry, pie spice, a bit of tannins but not intrusive, and nice acidity with good balance for cellaring, remarkable at this price. 2004's cooler summer and small harvest make for concentrated, well balanced Pinots, ready to drink, lower in alcohol than the 2003's - a vintage to grab, especially at this price. - Jean

Most of the fruit came from the upper block of his vineyard, a block comprised of Pinot noir clones 113, 115, and 777. The wine was aged in 30% new Francois Freres oak (Allier and Nevar), 40% year old Francois Freres and Gillet oak, 10% neutral oak, and 20% Hungarian oak.

Chris Berg is winemaker for several different wineries and has worked at Rex Hill and Archery Summit. He has a small 6 acre vineyard , from which he produced this wine, his second vintage.

Beginning, Belonging, Becoming. Roots symbolizes origin, ancestry and birthplace.

Racine, the French word for root, is owner Chris Berg's own birthplace. Roots also symbolizes family ties and community support as well as growth and the future's awesome potential.