2023 Pinot Noir, Mount Richmond Vineyard

The 2023 vintage is our tenth working with this fruit - already! As one of the Estate Vineyards of the second generation winery, Elk Cove, this vineyard is managed carefully by a crew of especially talented people, who also make their own amazing wines. We are fortunate to be one of the few wineries that has access to this fruit.

As with all vineyards, it takes a little time to understand the uniqueness of the site and how it responds to various conditions from year to year. Mount Richmond lends itself to dense, dark, full-bodied Pinot Noirs. These are perfect for our customers that generally favor Bordeaux varieties, because of the depth of flavor and also the level of tannin. Those tannins can be gorgeous and refined, but if we aren’t careful, they can be powerful enough to bring the wine out of balance. We have addressed this aspect by processing the fruit at Elk Cove, prior to bringing it to Walla Walla. This gets the fruit off of the stems for the length, jostling ride up the Columbia River. Sorting the fruit on their table is also a tradition that we share with the Elk Cove staff and look forward to each harvest.

During our staff tasting of this wine, we explored the differences between Boysenberries and Marionberries, both of which have ample representation in this vintage. Boysenberries are a combination of a red raspberry, blackberry, and logan berry. Marionberries are small blackberries of a special cross that was actually developed in Oregon. Both have the depth and richness of a blackberry, while the boysenberry adds a red element to the flavor. We find all of these flavors in this wine. Then add licorice and earth to a creamy mid palate with nice weight coming from the Pommard clone and a lushness coming from the Dijon 777 clone. Its tannins are present and refined and the mouth feel is coating and so, so long. This particular vintage of Mount Richmond Pinot Noir is possibly our favorite. It has depth, lushness, structure, and complexity all perfectly dialed in to make an especially delicious and enjoyable wine.