2012 St. Innocent, Pinot Noir “Momtazi Vineyard” McMinnville AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Mark Vlossak handcrafts beautiful and pure Pinot Noir from selected sites in the Willamette Valley, and his wines are always some of the top values in the region. St. Innocent has been around since 1988 and Vlossak knows his way around, he was inspired by Burgundy and his wines are made from that influence, and his sourced grapes are farmed that way too, especially the grapes he gets from Momtazi, which are all biodynamic, like Leflaive, DRC and Leroy, and in a great vintage like 2012 is, these wines are fantastic. Vlossak, does these traditionally and with focus on his terroir and style with about 25% to 30% new wood, de-stemmed grapes and native yeast, plus very low SO2, all combined make for some open, clear and compelling wines, but I have to also to mention these wines age gracefully and really come into their own after a decade of cellaring. I recently had a 2000 vintage of St. Innocent that was amazingly fresh, pure and it seemed remarkably youthful, so I recommend getting putting some of these down, as this vintage is going to be one you’ll not want to miss out on. The Momtazi 2012 from St. Innocent is dark, rich and exotic with a deep ruby hue, sweet bouquet with floral tones, liquid mineral and black fruits leading the way, the palate is vigorous and vibrant with a core of black cherry, blueberry, plum, blackberry, strawberry and wild mountain raspberry fruits, tea spice, incense, cedar, coffee bean and stony mineral flinty notes. This Pinot Noir is vivid, youthful and very expressive with 13.5% alcohol, well integrated tannins, vital acidity and wonderful balance, giving pure pleasure, this Momtazi and the classic coast range Freedom Hill are wines that truly show Oregon at it’s finest at a great price, drink from 2016 to 2024.
($38 Est.) 94+ Points, grapelive
