2018 Pinot Noir, Artist Series, Four 1.5L

From Winemaker, John Abbott:

At our home in Oregon, we are lucky to have a view of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA from the living room and porch, where we try, not always successfully, to spend a lot of time. Interested in the neighboring AVA, just across the valley, we drove some of the back roads and quickly found it to be a very exciting viticultural area.

Jump forward. We have met many great folks in the Oregon wine industry over the years and John Grouchau, of Grouchau Cellars in Amity, is one of those. He introduced us to Mr. Beize, which lead us to inquire about his vineyard. The rest, well, you know – history. We were excited to try some of his highly coveted fruit and learn more about the Eola-Amity Hills. The vineyard is meticulously managed and the fruit was beautiful. We enjoyed working with it, but they were looking for more fruit for their family brand, so going forward after the 2018 vintage wasn’t in the cards. We would certainly consider it again if it came available.

To celebrate the hazelnut tree and the wonderful art by my sister, I have decided to pair the wine with some of my favorite tree songs. So, pull the cork and hit play on Tony Orlando and Dawn’s Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree. Then you will be ready for Shaking the Tree by Peter Gabriel, The Cure’s A Forest, and One Tree Hill by U2. The wine comes only in magnum and so the entire album Joshua Tree by U2 may be suitable if you are gathering with friends or have a need for more listening pleasure. I don’t really like flavored coffee, but you don’t have to in order to wind down with Hazelnut Coffee by SadGirl. Enjoy!