Attractive aromas of black and red cherry, plum, smoky cinnamon and bark. Quite flavorful on the palate with the aromas translating onto flavors: Bing cherries, red plum, rhubarb, black pepper, black tea and light cinnamon can be found. The tannins are rounded and it has moderate acidity. It was bottled under screw cap and becomes broader and better integrated with about a half hour of air. It is medium in body and length with lovely brightness. Great value!
WINE INFORMATION
The Illinois Valley is an alpine valley nestled in the Siskiyou Mountains in the far southwest of Oregon, part of the Rogue Valley appellation. Here Ted Gerber and his wife Meri planted their first Pinot Noir in 1974, making them pioneers in the use of this grape in Oregon. When Oregon released three Dijon clones from Burgundy, also a cool-climate area, rather than California varieties grown for disease resistance rather than wine quality, they got 25 plants of each. They propagated them in their greenhouse, and turned 225 plants into ten acres of vines the following spring. Their production of quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay was years ahead of other growers. In 1991 and ’92, they began selling prunings to California grafter, a reversal of the usual direction of innovation. Many of the most famous Pinot vineyards in California and Oregon trace their parentage to Ted’s original flagship Maple Ranch Vineyard. Ted and Meri had started making wine in 1986; she died in the mid-‘90s later after a lengthy illness, and Ted remarried in 2003. Today his extended family continues growing grapes and making wines, producing Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, as well as other wines, both dry and sweet.
Brunch Foods, Charcuterie, Cheese, Chicken/Turkey, Duck, Fish-full flavored (salmon/tuna), Ham, Hors d'oeuvres, Perfect Aperitif , Pork, Roasted Root Vegetables, Vegetables