Brittan Vineyards 2018 Gestalt Vineyard Pinot Noir
Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Pinot Noir Gestalt Block is powerful and fragrant. Bass tones of roasted coffee and cocoa give way to plums, orange peel, forest floor and violet. The palate is bursting with dark, spicy fruit, firmly structured and vibrant, with a very long, iron-and-violet finish. This will require another 3-5+ years in bottle to really unwind and will be long-lived in the cellar.
95pts Wine Enthusiast
The Brittan wines are all estate grown and designated by the particular soils underlying the different blocks of vines. Here the underlying basalt reduces crop load to less than one ton of fruit an acre, a miniscule reward for the work involved. The strong Van Duzer winds thicken the skins, punching up tannins. This is an extreme example of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, yet brilliantly realized. Tight, tough and tannic, it's packed with mountain blackberry fruit, framed with sharp herbs and finished with residual flavors of black tea. Drink 2025–2035.