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2018 Elton Pinot Noir
Sourced from old vine plantings at our Elton Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills founded in 1983 by Dick and Betty O'Brien, a former schoolteacher and Executive Director of the Santiam Girl Scouts.
Accolades:
93 points - James Suckling
On the Nose: The bouquet opens with notes of mixed red and black fruits, earth and barrel spice.
On the Palate: The wine expresses beautiful movement and dark fruit flavors of blackberry, currant and plum accented by minerality, cedar, anise and bergamot. The wine features a broad palate, velvety tannins, balancing acidity and lingering finish.
Food Pairings: Enjoy with elegant, aromatic dishes including pan-roasted duck breast with fruit compote, rack of lamb seasoned with herbs de Provence and garlic, sautéed chanterelle mushrooms and aged cow’s milk cheeses like white cheddar.
Peak Drinkability: 2020 - 2030
At this time, we cannot ship this wine to the following states:
AL, AR, DE, IN, LA, MI, NH, NJ, RI, UT, WV, WY.
"Wines made with consideration for the environment, employees and community simply taste better."
Jim Bernau, Founder/Winegrower
Elton Vineyard
Eola-Amity Hills AVA
Dick and Betty O’Brien married in 1967 and began building a life together on Betty’s family’s farm. Dick served as a middle school teacher and Betty became the Executive Director of the Santiam Girl Scouts. After a trip to Germany in 1980 where they stayed with a family that grew wine grapes, they returned to Oregon inspired and eager to plant a vineyard of their own. Betty’s parents, Elton and Peggy Ingram, turned over five acres of the farm for them to plant grapevines. They planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in 1983, the same year that Jim Bernau, Betty's friend and college classmate, planted our Estate Vineyard in the Salem Hills. Their vineyard grew over the years from five acres to more than 60 acres in the east-southeast slopes of the Eola Hills and was named one of Oregon’s top ten vineyards by Wine Press Northwest. The elevation rises from 250-500 feet, and the vineyard soil is primarily Jory and Nekia. Upon the O'Briens' retirement in 2007, the vineyard was contracted under a long-term lease to Willamette Valley Vineyards. Retirement allowed Dick and Betty O'Brien to complete a beautiful 1.5-acre garden on the property.
Willamette Valley Vineyards has grown from a bold idea into one of the region’s leading wineries, earning the title “One of America’s Great Pinot Noir Producers” from Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
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