Westrey Pinot noir Oracle Vineyard 08
An Oregon 2008, old-vine, Dundee Hills Pinot for $25?! The answer lies with the Oracle: Westrey Wines stunning estate-grown Pinot noir. Super-balanced dark berries and cherries come together with lavender, dried thyme, and a soft spice that accentuates the sweetness on the middle of your tongue. Surprisingly accessible right now, but age-able for several years. Westrey's Oracle 08 is a revelation. - Marcus An Avalon Wine Club selection, January 2010.
Tanzer 92 points: "Full red. Wild strawberry, raspberry, potpourri and musky herbs on the fragrant nose, along with a subtle cola note. Fleshy, smooth, nicely delineated red fruit flavors provide very good palate coverage, with a vanilla note emerging with some air. Pretty alluring right now but also has the depth to reward patience. The gently sweet finish lingers with impressive spicy persistence."
Matt Kramer, the Oregonian, July 12, 2010:
"Westrey Pinot Noir "Oracle Vineyard" Dundee Hills 2008 is an exemplar of Oregon's exceptional 2008 vintage. In Westrey "Oracle Vineyard" 2008 you find the alliance of the tight, dense core of berryish fruit characteristic of the 2008 vintage allied to a bright, precise flavor definition made more apparent by a good, but not excessive, acidity."
"Everything in this wine is just so: its garnet hue is bright and deep but "natural" (no exaggerated saturation to wow the rubes); oak is restrained, indeed barely discernible, which allows the fruit purity to shine. The fruit intensity is substantial yet with a delicacy that reminds you why pinot noir is unique among red grapes."
"This is an Oregon pinot noir from a great vintage asking a modest price for the exceptional quality: $24 a bottle. Only 593 cases were produced. Get it while you can."
From the winery:
The nose invites one to taste through aromas of raspberry fruit, red currents, violets and mineral-earth notes. The entry shows bursting berry fruit, with good weight and a balanced acid structure.
Westrey’s first estate vineyard, Oracle is located in the Dundee Hills AVA, just north of Abbey Ridge Vineyard. Situated at an average elevation of 650 feet, the rows face due south on predominantly Jory soil, with a narrow streak of Nekia running through the property. The 2008 blend includes 17% 31-year-old Pommard clone Pinot Noir, planted on their own roots, in 1977. With our 2001 planting in full production, coupled with the strong return of the old vine block, Oracle is now firmly entrenched in our winery.
All lots were fermented with indigenous yeast in open-top 1,500-liter fermentors. This seventeen-barrel lot had five new barrels, with the balance in neutral wood. After an indigenous malo-lactic fermentation, it was racked with inert gas in the spring, and was bottled unfined and unfiltered in September of 2009. 593 cases produced.
Previous Vintage Tasting Notes
2007 Vintage Tasting Notes
The old vines of Oracle Vineyard produced a beautiful 2007 Pinot. Raspberries and blueberries prevail in the scent and flavors. There's a bit of rich spiciness accenting velvety tannins. A rustic dark note, characteristic of the vineyard, adds depth. Drinking well with food now, expect several years of cellaring to add even more complexity.
Westrey Pinot noir Oracle Vineyard is the Westrey's estate wine, made from Amy and David's own vineyard. David and Amy grow the grapes and make the wine together, combining their skills into an original vision. Considering the very high quality of the wine, this is a blow you away value.
The Oracle Vineyard property was being used to graze horses when Amy and David bought the land. Although they knew it had been a vineyard, they assumed the vines were dead and planned to start from scratch. Imagine their delight when rows of vines started sprouting the next spring. With careful management, Amy and David brought the neglected site back to life. Today Oracle is one of the oldest producing vineyards in Oregon.
