Joel Gott Oregon Pinot Noir

Varietal

100% Pinot Noir

Appellation

Oregon, Willamette Valley

Barrel

25% new French oak
75% 1-3 year old French oak

We sourced fruit for this wine from the Eola-Amity Hills, Ribbon Ridge and Yamhill-Carlton appellations within Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where ideal growing conditions—like those of Burgundy, France—produce world-class Pinot Noir. Fruit from the Eola-Amity Hills appellation adds great color, concentration and tannin structure to the wine. The region’s cool climate stresses the vines, creating smaller, more concentrated fruit clusters that yield more complex, flavorful wines.

The Ribbon Ridge AVA, known as the smallest appellation in Oregon, experiences slightly warmer temperatures, adding structure and notes of spice.  Hillside vineyards planted in the Yamhill-Carlton appellation are on an old, ancient soil type found only in this area, allowing for longer hang time and better flavor development.

The growing season and harvest in Willamette Valley were traditional throughout beginning with a cool, rainy spring resulting in late budbreak. Warm summer temperatures followed by a dry fall allowed for the fruit to fully ripen, reaching optimal fruit flavors with good concentration, well-balanced sugars, and crisp acidity. The fruit was harvested in October at night and just before sunrise in the early morning to help preserve the varietal characteristics of Pinot Noir.

After harvest, fruit from each vineyard was hand-sorted and de-stemmed. The wine was fermented in open-top fermenters and punched down twice daily. This gentler and more traditional form of cap management helps to retain the soft tannin structure of Pinot Noir. After fermentation, the fruit was gently pressed in a basket press which results in softer, more elegant tannins. The wine was then aged for approximately one year in 25% new French oak and 75% one-to-three-year-old French oak.