2021 Violin - Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (750ml)

Violin is the project of winemaker Will Hamilton, who sources fruit from a tight cluster of respected vineyards in Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills to craft small-lot, site-expressive Pinot Noir under the Willamette Valley designation. The wines are known for prioritizing purity and sense of place over heavy-handed winemaking, letting the character of each vineyard come through in the glass.

The 2021 Pinot Noir draws from five vineyard sites, with the largest portion coming from the high-elevation Koosah Farm, along with fruit from Sojeau, Sylvia's, Witness Tree, and a small block of Temperance Hill known as "12 Rows." After a gentle, natural fermentation, the wine spent close to a year aging in mostly second-use French oak barrels before bottling, a approach meant to add polish without masking the fruit.

The nose offers crushed cherry and raspberry with sweet baking spice, purple flowers, and a whisper of cured tobacco. The palate is full yet transparent, juicy up front with fine, well-integrated tannins on the finish. This Pinot Noir works well with roasted duck, mushroom risotto, or a simple herb-crusted pork tenderloin.