2012 Cameron, Pinot Noir “Abbey Ridge” Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon.
John Paul’s Abbey Ridge is one of Dundee’s old vineyards, his Cameron Abbey Ridge Pinot comes from vines at some of the highest elevation in the Red Hills of Dundee and is always a classic. Cameron Winery employs biodynamic principles to all it’s vines and is totally organic in farming, and the Abbey Ridge vines are non-irrigated, this combination takes harder work and much more care, along with the loss of crop, with small yields close to 2 tons per acre, making for serious wines of depth and intensity. The 2012 is an almost perfect example, and close to the best ever from Oregon with Cameron’s Abbey Ridge one of John Paul’s greatest wines. Paul came to Oregon along with the second wave of talent in the 80’s to early 90’s, about the same time as Ken Wright and a touch before Mike Etzel (Beaux Freres) and were a group that really pushed Oregon forward, and the followed Burgundy’s commitment to organic and biodynamic practices and became a leading force in Oregon’s Pinot Noir. The 2012 Cameron Abbey Ridge is a majestic tour d’ force of brilliant concentration, vigor and purity of terroir with dark color, fruit, earthy notes, spice and mineral tones. This is an awesome wine, it shows dark flowers, minty herbs, truffle and small berry fruits on the nose before an explosion of fruit on palate with blackberry, huckleberry, black cherry and plum layers cascading in the full mouth along with fine acidity, sweet firm tannins and complex highlights of warm earth/loam, sappy notes, saline, flinty spice, anise, a hint of gravel/stones and pretty refined wood notes with a touch of cedar, cinnamon and vanilla pod. This medium full expression of Pinot Noir coming in at 13.5% alcohol, grown on the regions Jory red dusty soils, flows gracefully and is glorious in feel and texture, yet has forceful and has hidden power, it will be hard not to drink this fantastic and focused wine young, but it will certainly age astonishingly well and gracefully, it should gain to near 100 Point levels of greatness for those that have patience, drink from 2018 to 2026. This is an amazing vintage in Oregon, and these wines are worth investing in, there is so much pleasure to come it’s scary, the rewards are going to be huge, from St. Innocent, Ken Wright, Beaux Freres, Bergstom to many more, including these Cameron offerings, especially this Abbey Ridge by Mr. Paul, all will be jewels in the cellar!
($70 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive