2014BowArrowPN2014 Bow & Arrow, Pinot Noir, Hughes Hollow Vineyard, Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Bow & Arrow is an underground Portland winery making natural wines from select Willamette and Oregon vineyards, owned by Scott and Dana Frank, they specialize in Gamay and Pinot Noir, as well as doing a tasty Melon de Bourgogne white inspired by Muscadet. In recent years I have fallen in love with the Bow & Arrow Gamay Noir and their Pinot & Gamay blend Rhinestones, but this 2014 Hughes Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir is awesome, bright and fresh even in such a blockbuster fruity year it retains crunchy mineral notes and lean acidity along with dark, almost blue fruit, spice and floral tones. This organic vineyard in Eola-Amity gave the base to craft this utterly charming wine, it impresses from start to finish with a nervy poise and velvet lined intensity, showing black currant, plum, tangy/sweet cherry and a hint of strawberry fruits along with a touch of walnut oil, cedar and crushed stones as well as violets, flinty peppercorns, and dried rose petals. Background complexity is in the form of baking spice, peach, blood orange and almost Gamay like earthy blueberry essence. The vibrancy and lower natural alcohol make this beautiful Pinot Noir seem lighter and tighter than is the case, it should open and fill out over the next 2 or 3 years, the whole cluster fermentation gives a ripe impression, but the stems add a contrasting bitter/savory note as well as little extra tannin that clearly puts this beauty in focus and highlights the balance. Bow & Arrow love to showcase their Loire inspiration in their wines, which I admire, but this wine is all Oregon and reflects their journey and talents, capturing a perfect moment in time and place!
($38 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive

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