Bergstrom "La Spirale" Pinot Noir 2021
(Ribbon Ridge, Oregon) - [JS 95] [WS 95] [JD 94] [VM 94] [W&S 94] DM 93] WE 93] [WA 92]

About the Winery:
Bergström Wines, a first-generation American family business, is one of the most unique and lauded domaines in the Willamette Valley. Dr. John Bergström’s Swedish heritage and the love he developed for the Pacific Northwest are the roots of this estate. In 1999, John and his son, Josh, established Bergström Wines. Today, Josh and Caroline, his wife and business partner, are celebrating 24 years as biodynamic growers of estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards on the finest appellations within Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Their farming program consists of five monopole, biodynamic estate vineyards spanning 70 acres across three of the Willamette Valley’s finest and most exclusive AVA’s. Each vine is farmed without the use of harsh fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides or systemic fungicides. Instead, Josh and his farming team focus on homemade compost, homeopathic herbal and mineral teas, and regenerative agricultural practices that coax maximum expression from the unique terroir.

Notes from the Winemaker:
La Spirale means the vortex; a symbol of life, creation and the natural formative forces that guide our hands in our agricultural and winemaking pursuits at Bergström Wines. It is also the name of our newest estate vineyard on the Ribbon Ridge AVA, just a stone’s throw from our Le Pré du Col Vineyard and within eyesight of the winery on the Chehalem Mountains AVA. This complex and beautifully positioned Southwest facing 22-acre rolling slope includes more than 14 different marine sedimentary soil expressions. Planted by the Redman family and purchased by our family in 2018.

Vinification

• 100% whole-cluster fermentation in open-top, temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks
• Fermentation: Native fermentation where possible. Inoculation with selected native Burgundian strains of yeast where needed
• Malolactic: 100% malolactic and alcoholic fermentation (no residual sugars or malic acids)
• Aging: 10 month élevage on lees
• Barrel Aging:10-15% new French oak barriques
• Alcohol: 13.5%

Tasting Notes:
Vibrant Ruby. Smells of a spring garden with violets, wisteria, and lavender. Light perfume and cherry pastilles go hand in hand with their brambly flavors. Fresh forest air and wet granite drive the palate with fresh blueberries, demerara sugar, and a mineral expression on the finish. While structured, this is layered in vineyard character with freshness and floral. Its balance between suave tannins and acidity will surely provide a long life.

Ratings & Reviews

95 Points - James Suckling:

"This is bright and succulent with redcurrants and cranberries with hints of thyme, some nutmeg and fragrant blue flowers. Some flinty minerality, too. It is medium- to full-bodied with impressive tension, freshly cut cherries and blueberries, and tangy, citrus-like acidity. It is vibrant and fresh with notes of spicy herbs to close. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold."

95 Points - Wine Spectator:

"Floral and silky yet multilayered, with raspberry, rose petal, forest floor and black tea tones that gather richness and tension toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2032. 1,150 cases made."

94 Points - Jeb Dennuck:

"The 2021 Pinot Noir La Spirale Vineyard is magenta-hued and takes on a more spiced and umami-scented profile, with notes of wild raspberry, mushroom-covered earth, and five-spice. Medium to full-bodied, it has a pleasant spiced astringence without turning green and offers fresh acidity and fine tannins. It is lifted with a saline and mouthwatering finish and will do well over the next 8-10 years." - Audrey Frick 

94 Points - Vinous Media:

"The 2021 Pinot Noir La Spirale is perfumed to the max, with an array of violets and roses evolving into delicate black cherry in an air of chalk dust and sweet smoke. Lifted and refined with cooling acidity, the 2021 doesn't miss a beat, coming across both finessed yet also sapid with slowly saturating masses of ripe dark red fruits. This cakes the palate with primary concentration and minerals, lingering impossibly long and structured yet perfectly fresh. There's tremendous cellar potential here." -- Eric Guido 

94 Points - Wine and Spirits Magazine:

"In a lineup of profoundly expressive pinots for 2021, this was the only Bergström wine that came out of the gate a little sluggish, with scents of sassafras and leaf-litter, the fruit scant. Texturally, it was all in place, and the fruit broke through with air—saturated red cherry, pretty and succulent and mouth-filling. It could use some cellar time to work out its youthful jitters, but with time in a decanter it’s the whole package for fennel-rubbed pork tenderloin." —P.J.C. 

93 Points - Decanter Magazine:

The newest estate site for Bergström, La Spirale, planted in 1997, the site features a melange of 14 different marine sedimentary soil types. A feral aromatic profile honing in on notes of turned earth, ripe blueberries and a herbal touch of bay leaf. The palate is lively and lush, focused on red and black fruits, savoury anise and mint, and a touch of turned earthen minerality leads to a peppery spice-laden finish. 

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast:

"This 100% whole cluster gem delivers a rich black cherry fruit aroma that is joined by sweet and floral notes of lilac and gardenia. Blackcap raspberry and blueberry sorbet flavors are accented by cedar, leather and a chalky mineral note. Beautifully balanced, with invigorating acidity. Enjoy now until 2033." — Michael Alberty

92 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:

"This is bright and succulent with redcurrants and cranberries with hints of thyme, some nutmeg and fragrant blue flowers. Some flinty minerality, too. It is medium- to full-bodied with impressive tension, freshly cut cherries and blueberries, and tangy, citrus-like acidity. It is vibrant and fresh with notes of spicy herbs to close. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold." -EB