2012 Division Winemaking Co. Pinot Noir, Deux Vieilles Vignes, Eola Springs Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Division Winemaking Company is a Portland based urban craft winery that makes some amazing stuff, channeling the exciting vibe that is the city and the worldly experience that owners Thomas and Kate Monroe bring this is a winery to get on board with, and now! I was blown away with their offering at a recent trade tasting in San Francisco, I had heard from a Somm friend about them, but this my first time trying the wines and I’m so thrilled by what I sampled I am putting them on my list of bucket visits to exciting wineries to get to over the next year or so, especially good was their Gamay and this wonderful old vine Pinot Noir from Eola Springs Vineyard, not too far from Salem, from blocks originally planted in 1973. The 2012 is a beautiful and detailed wine, showing the fantastic vintage to near perfection with depth and gorgeous inner energy and ripe tannins, 20% whole cluster with about a third new oak, racked into neutral barrels after 9 months to preserve freshness and intensity. This is amazing stuff, with heady dark berry fruit, an almost Nebbiolo like tar and flowers start on the nose and nicely restrained alcohol at 13.3% a result of careful native fermentation, along with layers of silky cherry, raspberry, briar laced blackberry, strawberry and tangy smoky currants plus Asian spice, flinty minerals, crushed stone, sea salt and cedar notes. A hint of vanilla, cinnamon, roses and earthy loam float nicely in the background, adding to the whole joyous experience, Tom and Kate were going for excellence and achieved it here, a deft touch and a good year making for a sublime Pinot Noir, fitting perfectly with a house style that leans toward higher acidity and brightness, this Deux Old Vines is a stunner, drink from 2015 to 2022!
($45 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
