For Pinot Noir Fans Only…

I stumbled upon St. Innocent quite accidentally years ago.  When I used to live in Eugene, Oregon years ago, I would frequent a market in the south of Eugene called Sundance Market.  Well, one day, I left the market and walked around the back through the alley and lo and behold I found Sundance Wine Cellars!  I walked in and was amazed!  To this day, I think this is probably one of the best wine shops I have ever been to.  Anyway, so there was a lady there from St. Innocent and she was doing a tasting and that is where I fell in love with St. Innocent.  They tend to specialize in Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and especially Pinot Noir.



The 2007 vintage of their Pinot Noir was absolutely fabulous!  Before I get into how the wine tastes I have to tell you about how unique the White Rose Vineyard is to terroir.  (Now, St. Innocent doesn't make any wines from the White Rose anymore, but if you can ever find any older vintages, you will be in heaven!)  White Rose Vineyard was St. Innocent’s only Dundee Hills vineyard and it sits at an elevation of 832 feet on a ridge above and to the west of Domaine Drouhin Oregon.  The vineyard is owned by Greg Sanders and was planted in the late 1970′s.  This is very unique as despite the altitude the wine always achieves full ripeness while keeping just the right amount of acidity.  Additionally, 2007 was a rough year for the Willamette Valley wine growers.  Despite this difficulty, 2007 produced very complex, layered Pinot noirs, or at least for those who knew what they were doing.  Lucky for us, St. Innocent knows exactly what they are doing!

The skill of winemaker Mark Vlossak has produced a wine that is good enough to enjoy all on its own.  This Pinot Noir displays a lovely bouquet of roses, orange peel, a ripe and sweet spice.  As for tasting, the palate is rich and layered.  Raspberries, black cherries, sweet spices, with a little citrus and lavender.  This wine feels smooth as silk in your mouth. The tannins are soft and round while gently coating your entire palate.   After drinking, it actually increases in flavor and all of the fruit, citrus, and spice continues to express itself throughout your mouth.  This is a wine that simply makes me melt as it is so beautiful.

Sadly, St. Innocent has sold out of this wine, but later vintages are still absolutely stellar!  (I'm a little behind on tasting some of the later vintages as Oregon Pinot Noirs need bottle age to be truly great!)  I have never been disappointed with a Pinot Noir from St. Innocent and I am sure that you will not be either.  I doubt that you will be able to find a better Willamette Valley winemaker!