Soter Pinot noir Mineral Springs White Label 2009

Review: LAST CALL!

2009 Wine Advocate - 91 points - Representing a bottling from the estate’s best parcels and lots of its vintage (and one such as won’t be produced in 2010), Soter’s 2009 Pinot Noir Mineral Springs Ranch White Label is voluminous (albeit at 14.1% not unusually high in alcohol); brimming with star anise- and licorice-tinged, lightly-cooked cherry; but also informed by easily detectable underlying tannin that carries all the way through its almost sweetly ripe, resonant finish. It should be worth following for at least another half dozen years. - David Schildknecht

This is the second vintage of the White Label and it is very limited so order soon before it is all gone.

2008 Vintage Tasting Notes

The first ever "Reserve" bottling from Soter's Mineral Springs vineyard is a wow-factor Pinot. It wowed us, the Wine Advocate, and Portland Monthly, for starters. Glorious depth and serious aging potential (10+ years easily). This was chosen as Oregon's #1 Wine by Portland Monthly, out of more than 400 tasted.

What's it Like? it's like an elegant high-end California Pinot only with more finesse, less bulk. (Tony is an internationally famous winemaker best known for his Etude wines. His style often has a bit of a CA influence.)

How to enjoy? The White Label definitely calls for a special meal - foodies will go crazy. Go to the organic free range butcher, the farmers market, and the best bakery in town. Have an expert chef mix it all together, add Soter White Label, stand back and listen to the raves.

When? It's definitely made to put away for 5-15 years. Overall, the 2008 vintage is one to cellar and collect rather than drink right now. The White label is especially so. If you can hold off on the gourmet dinner until at least 2016 you'll be glad you did.

Soter's White Label - realization of years of work by Tony Soter, his White Label Pinot is the best of the winery.

Only 300 cases were made from three acres of the best vines of Soter's Estate Mineral Springs Vineyard.

Intense and complex. Age from 10-15 years. This is a collector's prize, a special wine that deserves pride of place in your cellar.

2008 Wine Advocate - 93 points - The 2008 Pinot Noir Mineral Springs is even better, coming as it does from one of the Willamette Valley's greatest vintages. Toasty oak notes, darker fruits, more density and richness, and several years of aging potential are the hallmarks of this brilliantly rendered Pinot. Give it a minimum of 3-4 years of cellaring for it to fully blossom. - Jay Miller