Bethel Heights Estate Pinot Noir 2022 (Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon) - [DM 94] [VM 93] [WA 93] [WS 92,

Bethel Heights Estate Pinot Noir 2022
(Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon) - [DM 94] [VM 93] [WA 93] [WS 92, #47 Top 100 of '24]

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About the Winery:

Forty years ago we were looking for a place just big enough to support two families, and small enough to let us do all the work ourselves. We found it in 1977 – the old abandoned Bethel Heights Walnut Groves in the Eola Hills with fifty acres “suitable for vineyard” according to the classified ad.

What we found here was a living landscape – a geological mosaic of benches and slopes covered with healthy living soils, a crystal clear stream running down the middle through a deep, wooded ravine, and a rich diversity of wildlife to share it all. Sheer magic.

As stewards of this place, we have always sought to respect the magic we found here, and to share it with others through the wines it brings forth.

The first vines were planted at Bethel Heights between 1977 and 1979. That was before the discovery of phylloxera in Oregon, so we just stuck un-rooted cuttings in the ground and let them make their own roots in place.

More than forty years on, these are some of the last own-rooted Pinot noir and Chardonnay vines surviving anywhere in the Willamette Valley. Although phylloxera is finally taking its toll and production is diminishing, these old vines are still producing some of the finest wines of their entire career: the Flat Block, the Southeast Block, the West Block and the High Wire Chardonnay. These are our Legacy Blocks.

Our younger vineyards, including the adjacent Justice Vineyard established in 1999, and the adjacent Lewman Vineyard established in 1992 and added to our estate in 2020, are all planted on phylloxera-resistant rootstock, and include many new clones and vine spacing variations that were not available in the early days. Now fully mature, these second-generation vines have brought some interesting new voices to the table.

About the Wine:

This wine blends fruit from all the different sections of our Bethel Heights, Justice, and
Lewman estate vineyards. It truly encompasses the entire breadth of expression at our estate, from the youthful exuberance of our youngest vines planted in 2002 to the brooding, earthy complexity of our old own-rooted vines that have been knitting themselves into our landscape for more than forty years.

Technical Notes:
Certified Organically Grown
Harvest dates: October 8 - 20, 2022
Grapes at harvest: Brix 23.0, pH 3.2, TA 6.1 g/L
Finished wine: Alcohol 13.3%, pH 3.51, TA 5.6 g/L
Barrel aged 11 months in French oak, 30% new barrels
Cases produced: 4550 in 750ml, 550 in 375ml
Bottled unfined on September 12, 2023
ABV 13.3%
 

Notes from the Winemaker:
Our Pinot Noir Estate is always the best place to start when evaluating our growing season and winemaking intent in any given vintage. It incorporates nearly all sections of our three estate vineyards in various amounts, and as such provides an honest evaluation of the year. The 2022 Estate Pinot Noir reflects the multifaceted nature of the vintage: the abundance of fruit, the acidity from a relatively cool growing season, and the effusive fruit from harvesting in the warmest October on record. Blending the Estate is often our most difficult task because it is our largest bottling each vintage, and thus spans nearly 214 barrels. We approach this wine like we do our others, with the singular goal to make the best, most transparent wine we can.

Ratings & Reviews:

94 Points Decanter Magazine:
A delightful wine that punches so far above its price point. Black tea aromatics are married to freshly churned topsoil, dried lavender and sun-baked blackberries. The palate is distinguished in this well-priced wine. Chinese five spice, black tea and white pepper make room for ripe black bramble fruits and red plum skin. This wine is distinguished and complex, so refreshing to see such deference paid to a wine priced under $40. (Drink between 2024-2033) - Clive Pursehouse (July 2024)

93 Points - Vinous Media:
"More savory than sweet, the 2022 Pinot Noir Estate wafts up from the glass with a blend of shaved cedar, rose, ground cloves and dried black cherries. This is lifted and refined with juicy acidity and crisp red fruits, taking on a crunchy, tart cranberry concentration toward the close. Well-formed tannins frame the finish as violet inner florals resonate throughout. This is not only a spectacular entry point to the Bethel Heights style, it's also a fantastic value. (Drink between 2025-2034)." - Eric Guido (Aug 2024)

93 Points - Wine Advocate:
"The 2022 Pinot Noir Estate is bursting with strawberry, raspberry and orange peel aromas, and with time it reveals touches of cinnamon, bitters and wildflowers. The light-bodied palate is finely astringent and refreshing with complex, bitters-laced flavors and a long, spicy finish." - Ein Brooks (July 2024)

92 Points, #47 Top 100 Wines of 2024 - Wine Spectator:
"Taut and vibrant, with a stelly core of acidity and tannins that drives the flavors of raspberry, cranberry and dusky spices toward the firm finish. Best from 2025 through 2031." - TF