Montinore Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2018
To understand Montinore Estate, one must first understand the man behind it. Rudy Marchesi, third generation winemaker and son of Italian immigrants, has worked with vines, in some shape or form, all his life. Winemaker, viticulturalist, salesman, owner/operator… you name it, over the last 40 years, he’s done it. In 1998, Marchesi began consulting to Montinore Estate, an 80-hectare site in the Tualatin Hills sub-AVA in the northwesternmost corner of the Willamette Valley. Always an avid proponent of organics, he converted the site to organic farming in 2001. Then, going deeper down the agricultural advocacy rabbit hole, he completed a course in biodynamics in 2003 and incorporated those practices into the Montinore approach—Demeter certification would be attained by 2008. Marchesi purchased the property in 2005 and, in the years since, has positioned Montinore as the unequivocal leader of biodynamic farming in the Willamette Valley.
Montinore’s influence is writ large over the Willamette Valley and Oregon. Rudy Marchesi is a pioneer of sustainable agriculture and his voice, combined with Montinore’s reputation and far reach in markets in the US, has gone some way to normalizing the conversation around custodianship of land through an organic and biodynamic lens. Their wines are a reflection of their approach and their standing and are well worth seeking out.
The Reserve Pinot Noir is one of the estate’s flagship wines; an expression of the highest quality Pinot fruit from the estate vineyard from a single year. In 2018, three clones (Pommard, Wadenswil and Dijon) from three of the vineyard’s most prized blocks—Graham’s, Parsons and Plumlee—made the cut. Each block was destemmed and fermented separately in small open-top steel vessels to ensure full expression of clone and terroir. The final blend was assembled after maturation, which took place in French barriques (41% new) for 10 months.
The Reserve 2018 gets better with air, so don’t be afraid to decant and allow this deep and brooding Pinot Noir to unfurl in the glass. Purring with energy and character, dark and silky Pinot fruits and warm spice embrace supple structures, mineral depth, supportive wood and a long-lasting close.
Super spicy cherries with spiced-biscuit complexity. The palate has a very smooth-honed core of bright, vibrant dark berries and cherries with silky tannin texture. Drink or hold. James Suckling
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Pinot Noir
Country - USA
Region - Willamette Valley, California
Vintage - 2018
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.4%