Medium ruby color; black cherry, strawberry, raspberry, blood orange, truffle, earth-forest floor, leather, baking spice on the nose and palate.
Dry; tannins present by not obnoxious, even velvety; modest acidity. Medium body. Vexing vintage as grapes suffered through frost in the beginning and then were harvested at the beginning of the 2020 wildfires. Hand harvested followed by vigorous sorting to eliminate smoke-affected berries. Yields, thus, were the smallest in 22 years. Seven-day cold soak. Fermentation in small, open-top vessels using ambient yeast. Aged 16 months in French oak, 20% new, 45% neutral. Post-fermentation maceration extended mid-palate density, a Sokil Blosser technique perfected over the past 50 years. The result is a survivor wine with subtle nuances, smooth easy drinker. Lacks some complexity and depth, but makes up for it in amiable generosity of fruit and approachability. Ideal introductory wine to those just graduating to quality red wines. 13.5% ABV
Sokol Blosser is a family-run effort with an emphasis on sustainable farming, organic grapes, and eco-friendly production since its beginnings in 1971. Founders Bill and Susan Blosser were pioneers. There was almost no wine industry in Oregon when the Blossers started. Filled with youthful self-confidence, energy, and determination, the Blossers planted in the now-famous Dundee Hills of the Willamette Valley. Oregon now has more than 500 wineries—second-most in the U.S. It is likely every one would salute Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol as inspirations and collaborators in building the world-class reputation of Oregon and Willamette Valley wine.
Today, second-generation Alex Sokol Blosser is the winemaker and his sister Alison is the CEO. They manage 86 certified organic acres southwest of Portland. Northwest wines earn more attention with each vintage. Washington and Oregon are not hammered by drought as much as their fellow growers to the south in California and they have a tighter focus on sustainable farming and quality over quantity. Chateau Ste. Michelle is the big dog in the northwest (more than two million cases a year), but there are hundreds of smaller makers that are more than worth finding. Sokol Blosser certainly is one of them.
Sokol Blosser Estate Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Oregon 2020 is easy going, easily slurpable, eager to please wine from Dundee Hills pioneering winery. Impressive accomplishment from a very challenging vintage that saw spring frost and harvest-time wildfires. No smoke taint thanks to rigorous selection of fruit. Pair with rich, fatty fishes—cedar planked salmon, seared ahi tuna, scallops with morel cream sauce; lamb chops with mint-pistachio crust, lamb tagine; roasted pork loin; herb-roasted chicken. duck à l’orange. Mushroom risotto, truffle-infused dishes, roasted vegetable medleys. Cheese—soft, creamy goat cheese, brie, camembert, taleggio, cantal, comté, gruyère, humboldt fog, bûcheron, aged gouda, parmigiano-reggiano, stilton. $44
