2021 Anacréon Winery, Pinot Noir, Deep End, Chehalem Mountains AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon.
The Anacréon Winery and Estate is a family property in the Chehalem Mountains, was brand new to me and really enjoyed their 2021 Deep End Pinot Noir with its lively and almost Gamay like expressive red fruited profile and subtle oak use. Danell and Kipp Myers are the owners of the family’s Belle Colline Vineyard and the Anacréon Estate, which they founded in 2016, making them fairly new to the scene here in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. They have really jumped in with a gusto, with the winery noting, Danell studied at Chemeketa Community College, focusing on wine production while her husband Kipp completed the Viticulture Program at Washington State University, focusing on vine cultivation. They also wanted a world view on wine growing and even traveled to France to study at the Burgundy Wine School in Beaune. Things got serious when they bought what is now Belle Colline Vineyard in the Chehalem Mountain AVA, which is planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Only 125 cases were made of this dark garnet and ruby hued Pinot that shows lovely floral aromatics, an array of cherry, plum and strawberry fruits, zesty acidity, delicate earthiness and mineral elements in the glass, it is a wine that opens up to a fine medium bodied palate, making it an impressive effort that goes great with salmon, poultry and mushroom dishes.
The winery is named after the Greek poet (582-485 BC), who was know for his poems or ‘anacreontics’ about love and wine, with a large collection of works that takes inspiration from wine growing and its romantic ideals, including natures gift and beauty. Wnemaker Anna Matzinger is now making the wines here at Anacréon, having come on board in 2022, so she didn’t harvest this wine, but guided it to bottle. The Myers, as they get started, are making the wines at Carlton Winemakers Studio, a place that has a long track record of creating stars in the region. Matzinger is well traveled, having made wine in California, Australia and New Zealand before growing into her position as winemaker and general manager for the famous Archery Summit, so she comes with tons of talent and experience and I look forward to seeing what she does in the years to come here. The winery also notes that Anna crafts wines under her own label Matzinger Davies together with her winemaker husband Michael Davies, so I am interested in tasting those as well. The potential shows in this 2021 vintage, coming from estate vines set on marine sedimentary soils and an interesting set of clones of Pinot Noir, including Coury, Pommard, 667, 943 and 777, making for good complexity and purity. Anacréon does a Rosé of Pinot Noir, a couple of Chardonnays, along with this Deep End Pinot and a very limited “Mine Yours and Ours” Pinot, only two barrels, that sees just the Coury and Pommard clones.
($65 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive