2019 Etheric Wine Workshop by Grochau Cellars, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon.
The all natural Etheric Wine Workshop Pinot is electrically vivid in hue, it is surprisingly a deep magenta/purple and ruby in the glass and it drinks best with a good chill on it, making it sublime with Summer weather and easy to enjoy with a mix of earthy blue and red fruits, mineral notes, a touch of herbal (stems?) elements, opening to fresh cherries, blueberry/cranberry and blood orange. While tangy and juicy, it also shows a round carbonic like textural quality, much like a Gamay in style, it is delicious stuff from John Grochau, who makes an excellent set of Willamette Valley Pinots, as well as some other interesting things like Melon de Bourgogne, Albarino, Gamay and his unique Glou-Glou inspired natural Convivial carbonic wines, including a Barbera and Tempranillo, as well as a sparkling Riesling. The ex professional cyclist turned winemaker, Grochau, says this wine was made with minimal intervention, but lovingly intentional and adds that it needs to be served chill AF!
This 2019 Grochau Cellars Etheric Wine Workshop Willamette Valley Pinot Noir was fermented with all native yeasts and with whole bunches with exceptionally low sulfur and a short aging period to allow for absolute purity of form. The 2019 vintage shows a ripe fruit profile, but finished with a nice low 12.8% natural alcohol and zippy acidity to keep things vibrant and make for a more refreshing and transparent wine. Additionally, Grochau used 80% concrete vat, 20% French neutral oak barrels for the elevage, which lasted close to just 4 1/2 months then quickly bottled unfined and unfiltered. John calls this his ode to natural wines, but crafted with attention to detail and a focus on quality, this 2019 delivers on the palate and while authentic or raw, there is a lot of beautiful details that come through as well. Light violet florals mixed with a touch of leather adds to the pleasure here and it should be noted that some quality vineyard sites were used to make this wine, including the Zenith Vineyard, the Red-Wettle Vineyard and the Ribbon Springs Vineyard, all of which adds to the complexity in a no pretense Pinot!
($20 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive