Medium ruby-purple color; cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, blackberry, blueberry, herbs, struck flint, baking spice, black tea on the nose and palate.
Dry; genteel tannins and acidity (3.49 pH). Light-medium body. Grapes hand-harvested, sorted, destemmed, then allowed to ferment spontaneously. Some cap management with manual punchdowns and pumpovers. Racked into French oak barrels, 20% new. Malolactic fermentation/conversion delayed but not prevented. Wine spent 11 months in barrel for finishing. 13.9% ABV
The wine reflects the delicacy and depth of a well-done Willamette Valley pinot. Silky in the mouth, it also packs some power and assertive fruit flavors late in the mid-palate and finish. Seductive easy drinker. Fascinating blackberry and blueberry fruits at the finish. Appropriately done oak is pleasant background note to the red, black, and blue fruit symphony.
Grapes sourced from four vineyards. La Cantera Vineyard, Chehalem Mountain AVA, delivered opulent black fruit. The Filament Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills provided a field blend of clones for acidity and elegance. The Bednarik Vineyard’s old vine, own-rooted, Pommard and Wadenswil, provides savory notes and power. Finally, the 114 clone from Robinson Vineyard on the Willamette Valley’s northern edge brings elegance.
Project M was founded in 2016 by Meg and Jerry Murray. The website explains why the Murrays decided to make wine: “Our labor can transcend craft. We can make art. Wine is beautiful. Beauty can inspire, stirring the soul. PROJECT M was founded to eliminate the space between the business and creative objectives. Each PROJECT M Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Sparkling Rosé, and Pinot Noir is an attempt to make something beautiful.”
Selection of label art was important to the art-loving Murrays. They chose Mexican artist Tania Zaldiver to create a series of original images for each label. The website notes: “Using a process that the artist describes as ‘noise distribution’, the images are created by defining mathematical limits. These limits, defining the image’s edges and curves, are randomly populated with specks resembling sand. The method results in images that can never be exactly reproduced. The process of defining limits but accepting random outcomes within those limits mirrored Jerry’s winemaking philosophy.”
Project M Wines Personify Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley AVA 2022 is excellent expression of Willamette Valley pinot noir. Delicate and silky on the initial attack, rising to some power and complexity later in the palate. Refined, elegant, impressive. Pair with turkey, chicken, roasted duck breast. Lighter cuts of beef; veal. Salmon and other rich fish. Mushroom-based dishes—mushroom risotto, mushroom tart. Charcuterie board with prosciutto. Cheese—goat cheeses; brie, camembert, gruyère, comté, aged gouda, parmigiano-reggiano. $40