La Source Pinot Noir 2019, Evening Land

A pure complex nose of black cherries, raspberries, orange zest plus white truffle and nutmeg. Soft and silky on the palate, with a fresh mineral core. Defined red fruit flavours, and citrus notes on the finish.

Seven Springs is in the Eola-Amity Hills just north of Salem, the vineyard was planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay in 1984. It lies close to the Van Duzer corridor, an opening in the Oregon Coastal Range which allows cold Pacific air to flow into the valley, slowing down the ripening of these short-cycle varieties. The grapes for this Pinot Noir, Dijon clones, come from the top of the Seven Springs vineyard, up to 200 metres on rocky soils.

From the start the vineyard has been dry farmed and grown following LIVE sustainability methods, and since 2007 it has also been managed following biodynamic practices. The grapes are hand harvested and sorted, and around 90% of the fruit is destemmed. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts takes place in a mix of open-top concrete and oak fermenters, with some gentle punching down. The wine is then aged for around 12 months in neutral French oak, followed by 7 months in concrete, before bottling with no fining or filtration.