2015 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

The 2015 Franny Beck Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a bright, red fruited wine, full of energy and verve.  It's a blend of all three of our vineyard sources, Armstrong Vineyard, Johan Vineyard, and La Chenaie Vineyard. The finished wines from each vineyard were barreled into 100% French oak.  Blending trials were performed after the completion of malolactic fermentation. 12% of the barrels in this blend were new, and the wines aged for 12 months before bottling.

Aromas of spiced red cherries and a touch of sassafrass burst out of the glass with just a hint of spring white flowers.  The finished wine is taut with grippy tannins. Bing cherries, cranberry and citrus rind move seemlessly along the palate.  It's bright from entry through finish, dancing a bit on the mid-palate with a sense of wet stone mineralty.  The mouth feel is linear and zingy though some filling out will occur with some bottle age. 

What we love most about this wine is that it's a bit of an oxymoron. A bright and crunchy wine from an undeniably warm vinatge. There is so much energy here! This wine proves the point that vineyard sources matter and attention to ripeness levels can dramatically change the personality of a wine. While undeniably approachable now, the '15 Willamette Valley will reward those who hide it away and allow the angles to round a bit.