Wine & Spirits - April 2021 - 92

Year's Best US Pinot Noirs
scents are pretty and light, of rose petals and
spearmint. They give way to a rosy cherry flavor, the fruit coming in on the palate with
a whoosh, backed by tea-like tannin. The
entire effect remains light and tense, with a
lively energy for sea bass and capers. -P.J.C.
(759 cases) §
522905

93 | Bergström

$80

2018 Ribbon Ridge Le Pré du Col Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ From a biodynamically
farmed estate vineyard planted in 2006 in
light sedimentary shale, this wine is lighter
in tone than many Ribbon Ridge wines. With
its bright cherry-blossom scent and deep redcherry flavor, it's got plenty of concentration-and nerve, also, the finish a complex,
saline slurry of minerals, the tannins granular, firm and lasting. -P.J.C. (W&S 10/20;
980 cases) §
522975

93 | Division

$45

2018 Ribbon Ridge Cinq Armstrong Vineyard Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^ From two blocks
at Armstrong Vineyard planted in 2006, this
wine starts off dark and distant, showing a
mix of oak spice and lively red fruits. It's generous and a touch loose on the palate, driven
by flavors of caramel and raspberry preserves, fulsome in its texture before it closes
with a lively prickle of acid. Give it time in
the cellar to integrate the fruit and the oak.
-P.J.C. (30 cases) §
523228

93 | Fullerton

$65

2018 Ribbon Ridge Lichtenwalter Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ From a dry-farmed vineyard planted in 2006, this wine manages to be
lushly red while staying firmly vinous, marrying fruit and structure in a pleasing, seamless
weave. It's red-cherry scent is framed by mild
oak accents; the pretty core of cherry fruit
has a tanbark savor that becomes more like
spice with air, and frames the finish nicely.
-P.J.C. (350 cases) §

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2021

523140

93 | Ribbon Ridge Winery

$69

2018 Ribbon Ridge RR Estate Reserve
Ridgecrest Vineyards Pinot Noir ^ Its color
is dark, its flavors dark and penetrating, this
is not a shy wine: It channels the dark fruit
profile associated with sedimentary soils.
But you'll fall for the wine's exuberance, its
vibrant plum flavors, sensual breadth and its
fulsome concentration. Decant and pour for
a hearty turkey stew. -P.J.C. (364 cases) §
522906

92 | Bergström

$50

90 | Johan Vineyards

$25

2016 Van Duzer Corridor Three Barrel Pinot Noir ^ Winemaker Morgan Beck
seeks out three of the most unique barrels
in the cellar and blends them for this cuvée.
This one is showing whole clusters in the
extreme-all mushroom, purple olive and
Lapsang souchong tea, at once insistently
savory and very expressive. It's lithe and
composed, a wine to decant and serve with
game, like roast squab. -P.J.C. (73 cases) §
523037

$80

2019 Ribbon Ridge La Spirale Pinot Noir ^
The Bergströms purchased this Ribbon Ridge
property in 2018, and this second vintage is
already expressive, leading with an herbaceous side before gathering into a concentrated, red-fruited force. The flavors are forward but controlled, the texture becoming
refined and streamlined over three days of
tasting. For the cellar. -P.J.C. (510 cases) §
520556

93 | Johan

$80

2019 Ribbon Ridge Le Pré du Col Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ This wine is buzzy with
youthful energy. It leads with a heady plum
fruit scent and a whiff of cinnamon. While
the flavors are plush and rounded, there's
tension running beneath that holds all the
youthful fervor in check. The wine becomes
more seamless with air, hinting at its trajectory in the cellar. -P.J.C. (680 cases) §

2019 Van Duzer Corridor Farmlands
Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^ The exuberance of
this young juicy-red-cherry bomb is leavened by a spicy whole-cluster element and
brisk acidity. It's pure and mouthwatering,
as bright as Beaujolais-Villages, well-priced to
pour for picnics. -P.J.C. (1,311 cases) §

Y A M H I L L - C A R LT O N
520552

93 | Bergström

$65

93 | Big Table Farm

$62

93 | Fullerton

$75

$36

2018 Yamhill-Carlton Gregory Ranch
Pinot Noir ^ Gregory Ranch is a 21-acre vineyard that the Bergströms planted for the
Gregory Family in 2007 and have farmed
biodynamically from its inception. The wine
is rich and dark, with a wet-earth reductive
note that gives way to suede and mushroom.
In contrast, the flavors are organized around
penetrating and pure red fruit-cherry,
pomegranate-with a baking-spice savor.
A little cellar time will give the wine more
integration. -P.J.C. (W&S 10/20; 670 cases) §
522916

2016 Van Duzer Corridor Nils Pinot Noir ^
Lightly perfumed and bright with a tart
fruit scent of pomegranate and wild strawberry, this wine's bottle age has contributed a
savory whiff of dried flowers and oolong tea.
The flavors proceed in a line of savory complexity, the wine's bright red fruits limned
with licorice and tea leaves. The savory elements lend a hint of exoticism, but mostly
this wine feels very much alive, brimming
with energy and tension. -P.J.C. (108 cases) §
523036

2018 Yamhill Carlton Pinot Noir ^ The first
impression this wine gives is one of richness and intensity. But once it catches air
it becomes more and more refined, with its
scents of clove and mace, dark cherry and
spice. Those spiced cherry and savory flavors are irresistibly delicious, with a refined,
velvety, sensuous texture that calls for something decadent, like slow-rendered duck
breast. -P.J.C. (234 cases) §
523233

VAN DUZER CORRIDOR
523035

94 | Johan

$30

2017 Van Duzer Corridor Pinot Noir ^ With
its aromas of tobacco and bergamot and the
caked-earth grip of the soil, this proceeds
from a savory realm. The flavors are given
to olive skin and dark cherry, the fruit piercing the savor with a luminous intensity and
providing a compelling counterpoint. It's got
the concentration to age beautifully. -P.J.C.
(633 cases) §
523034

2018 Yamhill-Carlton Brutus Pinot Noir ^ A
parcel selection from 30-year-old vines at Fir
Crest Vineyard, a low elevation site that may
account for the wine's opulent fruit. For all
its youthful intensity, there's a flinty, mineral
edge that keeps the plump fruit in its place,
giving a lasting impression of balance and
composure. It needs time; cellar, then serve
with wild game. -P.J.C. (70 cases) §
523068

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Wine & Spirits - April 2021

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