2012 Brick House, Pinot Noir, Les Dijonnaise, Estate, Ribbon Ridge, Willamette Valley, Oregon.
If anyone doubts the quality of the 2012 vintage in Oregon just needs to taste the latest set from Brick House to fully grasp the beauty that has been delivered to the Willamette Valley in this stellar year, especially stunning is the Les Dijonnaise Estate Pinot! The 2012 Brick House Les Dijonnaise is gorgeous with generous mouth feel, wonderful layers of fruit, spice, mineral and floral tones starting with wilted roses, cedar, flint and crushed violets on the bouquet with a mix of red and black fruit floating up from the glass. The palate is silken with satiny earthy cherry, plum, currant and hints of vine picked blackberry along with red spice, soft wood notes, mint, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. With air density and depth come through, but this is not flabby or over weighted at all with deft balance and transparency, in fact this is glorious from the first sip to the last with a haunting and lingering finish, this is Oregon Pinot shinning brilliantly, bravo to the Brick House team for crafting such a beauty. Doug Tunnell started Brick House in 1990 (most vines were planted in 1991) and has made it one of the best and most cherished wines in the Valley, he was one of the first to flow the Burgundy lead in biodynamics and was very early on organic certified, his wines and his neighbor Beaux Freres are some of America’s great wines, this latest set of 2012’s are masterpieces and while I adore this new Les Dijonnaise Pinot, Doug’s estate Chardonnay may in fact be the greatest Oregon white wine I’ve ever tried, and his top cuvee Evelyn’s is one for the cellar, capable of 15 to 20 years of aging, plus the state Gamay is a great wine as well, be sure to find some of these sublime bottlings. The Les Dijonnaise Pinot is Brick House Vineyard’s main offering and it really is worth every penny, drinking well now and a wine that can be laid down for 5 to 10 years, if you go to Oregon, Brick House should be high on the list to visit, these are impressive and highly detailed wines, I’m absolutely smitten.
($55 Est.) 94+ Points, grapelive
