2022 Evesham Wood - Pinot Noir Cuvee 'J' Willamette Valley (750ml)

The 2022 Evesham Wood Cuvée J Pinot Noir is the flagship wine from one of Oregon's most storied and principled producers, founded in 1986 by Russ Raney in the Eola-Amity Hills of the Willamette Valley. Named in honor of Burgundian legend Henri Jayer, Cuvée J represents a barrel selection from the top six barrels of Evesham Wood's certified organic estate vineyard, Le Puits Sec. Cuvée J is aged in 50% new French oak, setting it apart from the winery's other bottlings, which rely primarily on neutral barrels.

Approximately 85% of this wine is sourced from own-rooted vines at Le Puits Sec that date to 1986. The 13.5-acre estate, planted to Pommard, 115, and 114 clones of Pinot Noir, sits between 300 and 420 feet of elevation in Jory, Nekia, and Woodburn soils, and has been certified organic since 2000. Evesham Wood is also a charter member of the Deep Roots Coalition, farming exclusively from non-irrigated, dry-farmed vineyards. Current winemaker Erin Nuccio, who purchased the estate in 2010, continues the minimal-intervention philosophy on which Evesham Wood was built, including natural fermentation, hand racking, and no filtration.

The 2022 Cuvée J is a classically structured expression of Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir. The nose offers savory and aromatic complexity, with rosehip oil, wild mint, and white pepper alongside notes of tart Montmorency cherries. The palate flashes earth tones of turned soils, damp pine needles, and intensely spiced blood orange pulp. The winemaker describes this vintage as classically dense, layered with fresh and dried flowers, ripe berries, and clean compost leaves, with remarkably fine-grained and persistent tannins. At 13% alcohol, this is a wine built for the cellar as much as the table, with the depth and structure to reward patience over many years.