2011 Beaux Freres, Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, Oregon.
The Beaux Freres Willamette Valley cuvee is always a savvy wine to get and to enjoy in it’s youth, but I must say with the difficulty of the 2011, I was not expecting such a rich and beautiful wine, this is a phenomenal effort and a real class act. Bravo to Mike Etzel and his team for crafting this wonderful and detailed Pinot Noir that lacks for nothing and highlights the best of it’s terroir and vintage. Tasting along side the famed Beaux Freres Estate, the Willamette Valley held it’s own and is by far the better wine to drink now and even though the Beaux Freres Vineyard is very lovely, I really do, in this year, adore the Willamette cuvee a tad bit more. Beaux Freres is one of the great estates of Oregon, if not all of the United States and I am glad I have had a chance to visit and walk these amazing vineyards. The 2011 Beaux Freres Willamette Valley Pinot Noir leads with a bouquet of wilted roses, iron ore, dried currants and sweet smoke before folding into a palate of dark cherry, plum and tangy blackberry fruits with flinty pepper, mocha, fennel and herb tea. This wine has depth and texture, but has plenty of zip too, though it finishes long and with refined tannins. Drink now through 2018, a fine Oregon Pinot that lives up to it’s reputation for quality and style.
($50 Est.) 93+ Points, grapelive
