King Estate Domaine Pinot Noir 2021

The wine opens with intriguing aromas and deep flavors of dark bramble berry, black currant, plum, cocoa, tobacco, cedar, caramel and baking spice. A bold Pinot Noir, this wine boasts complex flavors that linger on the palate. The bramble berry melds pleasantly with the bright acidity and alcohol to form a weighty balance, leaving the senses with lengthy flavors to savor.

Vineyard: 100% King Estate, Blocks 16 B, C and E

A warm and dry spring continued through May. First signs of bloom appeared in early June, ahead of normal. During fruit set later in June, temperatures cooled and up to two and a half inches of rain fell. Rain during bloom can lead to lighter yields, but the precipitation was welcome to alleviate drought stress. A couple of summer heat spikes were followed by rain systems in September that were short-lived and typical of an Oregon harvest. Yields were slightly lower with somewhat smaller berries. Fruit quality was outstanding.

Whole clusters were destemmed and cold soaked for 48 hours with daily pump overs. Some whole clusters were left intact in select lots for additional complexity. Prior to fermentation, 10% of juice was bled off using the Saignée method for further concentration of flavor and color, then fermented in a stainless steel open top tank with twice daily punch downs. Aged 18 months in French oak, 30% new.

King Estate is nestled in the bucolic Lorane Valley about 150 kilometers south of the better known Pinot Noir growing region around Dundee and Yamhill-Carlton in the northern Willamette Valley.  Although farther to the south, King Estate lies closer to the cool breezes of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in a slightly cooler climate that renders an elegant and crisp style of wine.  The manor house-style winery atop the estate's central hill commands an Arcadian view of the 1,033 acre estate surrounded by pastures and ringed by forested mountains, and a first time visitor gets the sense of stepping back into a simpler time, when the rhythm of life was intimately connected with the turn of the seasons and the bounty of the earth.  The certified organic vineyards are planted mainly to Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris and are interspersed with fruit tree orchards, gardens of flowers, vegetables, and berries.  There is even an apiary and a charcuterie.  But while this manorial setting evokes a self contained community from yesteryear, this is at the same time a very modern place.  State of the art winemaking equipment and techniques are employed along with the latest sustainable and organic farming practices, and a world class culinary program brings it all together beautifully in the Estate's restaurant.  The pure yet sophisticated wines are natural companions to fine foods.  Wine professionals agree: King Estate Pinot Gris has been the #1 on premise domestic Pinot Gris in the U.S. for the last four years running.