Medium ruby color; raspberry, cherry, plum, Meyer lemon, citrus, balsa wood, pine needles-forest floor, lavender on the nose and palate.
Dry; firm tannins with frim acidity. Crisp in the mouth with the citrus and lemon cutting through the red fruits in the mid-palate. Light-medium body.
Grapes hand-picked and moved directly to winery. Juice underwent native yeast fermentation, then racked into neutral French oak for 16 months of élevage. Élevage is a French winemaking term—Redolent uses it in its description—that has no easy translation to English. It roughly means parenting, rearing, or breeding. The implication is special attention in the winery, with the winemaker being a loving parent who guides the wine as it matures. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered to preserve its essence. 13.2% ABV
Redolent Wine is a partnership between Jon Larson and Boyd Pearson. Larson is the winemaker, Pearson leads sales. Both were long into wine. The website notes: “Jon and Boyd had long wanted to produce wine together, as they’d been neighbors for years and shared the dream over many a glass of wine and pint of beer (and perhaps a cocktail or two). In the late summer of 2015, we got our shot. David Polite of Carlton Hill Vineyard contacted Boyd and said he had an extra ton of Pinot Noir available should Boyd want it. Boyd immediately contacted Jon Larson to help make this single vineyard Pinot Noir. And we contacted John Grochau of GC Wines to see if he had some space available at his winery, as we realized quickly this was more grapes than we could handle and produce wine at home.”
Redolent stresses low intervention in the growing and making of wine. They note: “When it comes to winemaking for Redolent Wine, we strive to simply be stewards of the metamorphosis from grapes into wine. We aim to abstain from intervening in this process both in the fermentation and aging of the wines. We seek to capture the true nature of the grapes, the place, and the vintage.”
Redolent Carlton Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton, Oregon 2021 is a thoughtful, impressive effort from Yamhill-Carlton. Darker fruits prevail, but the esoteric elements of Oregon PN remain. Oregon may make the finest pinot noir in the US—I favor its litheness and more etherial qualities compared to California’s efforts, while also acknowledging both have their place in our wine world. This checks the boxes as a quality Oregon pinot noir. Pair with roast chicken, turkey; salmon and other fleshy fish/seafood; lighter cuts of beef; veal; game—wild turkey, venison; lamb; barbecue chicken and ribs. Cheese—brie, gouda, manchego, camembert. $40-43
