Eyrie Vineyards "The Eyrie" Pinot Noir 2021

Winery notes:

One of five cuvées that are produced identically, with the same fermentation regimes of wild yeast and small fermentation vessels, followed by aging in blends of cooperage with 12% new oak in each. The result is a fascinating journey up the Dundee Hills, from our
lowest elevation Sisters vineyard at 220’ up to our highest elevation Daphne vineyard at 860’. Each wine reflects facets of soil, site, exposure, and vine age that together capture a precise portrait of how variations in place can influence Pinot noir.

Eyrie’s original vineyard, and the home of the hawks that grace our label, the 7 acres of Pinot here were planted from 1965 to 1974 to Wadenswil, Pommard and
Upright clones. The elevation runs from 260’ up to 410’ and faces south rolling east and west. The wines from this site are our most fragrant and complex. This is the original planting of Pinot noir in the Willamette Valley.

Critical acclaim:

"97 points.  This wine features some of the original vines from the first plantings in 1965. It's a sophisticated, elegant red that will reward your full attention. The threads of berries, herbs, citrus and tobacco are already gracefully melded. From the opening aromas right on through the long and detailed finish, this wine excites and impresses." - Wine Enthusiast 

"Original vines, as in the first Pinot noir vines planted in the Willamette Valley. The historical importance of Original Vines cannot be overstated. But it's so much more than history, it's delicious present. A wine of tremendous character and ineffable finesse, no other Oregon wine smells like Eyrie's Original Vines. I can put certain aspects in writing–the exquisite perfume of gently crushed red berries, fir forest, delicate rose, orange essence, sexy musk–but you have to taste and feel it for yourself. The elusive Pinot noir sweetness is mind-melting. A truly collectible bottle of Pinot noir, absolutely, but it is so wonderfully captivating now; I poured myself another glass and it's not even lunch." - John Livingstone