2016 Pinot Noir, Artist Series, Two 1.5L

From Winemaker, John Abbott:

In nearly every vintage there will be a barrel or a single lot of wine that really stands out from the rest for a variety of reasons. Sometimes this will be a wine that is unique in such a way that it is too interesting to blend away, or it could be that if used in a particular blend it would overpower the other components. Our first Artist Series was a blend of fruit from two Oregon vineyards. Normally, our wines are vineyard designates, and so combining them is rare for us. This new vintage of our Artist Series bottling represents the two very best barrels from La Dolce Vita, a vineyard that we were fortunate to explore, but that we no longer can get. The folks there are making their own wine now and we wish them the very best!

This La Dolce Vita Pinot Noir represents the varietal well, showing wild raspberry, boysenberry, and a touch of black currant. If you are a mushroom hunter, you will appreciate the added descriptor of forest floor, which is combined with some fruity herbs like pineapple sage and a hint of eucalyptus. This wine is well rounded, approachable, and ready to enjoy, though the larger bottles will tuck away for a while, too. But why do that when the holidays are around the corner?

Those of you who have been with us going back to the days of Canoe Ridge Vineyard may remember a holiday series of wines called Christmas Cuvée. The art for many of those labels was a collaboration with John’s sister, Kerrie. When we were with Abeja, we gave the artist series a little time off, but we are having a lovely time working together once again on this creative project. Kerrie is a versatile artist, always with an idea that makes the process interesting. The images are selected from our label, and the style is inspired by vintage botanical identification drawings. To accomplish this in a way special to us, Kerrie selected, pencil-by-pencil, a set of colors specific to Devona. It is a subtle but powerful way to create cohesiveness in the images.

This particular image, the second in a set of three, studies the Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana), beautiful trees common to our new surroundings in Oregon. We have marveled at them, but we didn’t realize how special they were until Kerrie selected the image and we began to do a little research. These majestic, expansive trees have been described by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office as “both an Iconic and an Engineering species because of their dominant presence, unique characteristics, and ability to impact the surrounding community and ecosystems.” They are generally covered in as many as a hundred species of vibrant, lush mosses and lichens, providing rich and diverse habitats and food sources for numerous plants, insects, birds, and other creatures. We find them to be quite fascinating, magnificent, and precious.

It is tempting to offer music that includes nature sounds and birds, which Molly loves, but that would be too obvious. So try this: the gentle music from the weekly online radio show Quietmusic with Nick Francis. He broadcasts three hours of music each Sunday from his studio in Seattle. As Nick says “relax, chill, and turn up the quiet.” I’ll add, with a nice glass of wine!