2024 St. Innocent - Pinot Noir Villages Cuvee Willamette Valley (750ml)

St. Innocent Winery was founded in Salem, Oregon in 1988 by Mark Vlossak, a former pediatric physician assistant who traded medicine for winemaking after apprenticing with Oregon pioneer Fred Arterberry. He named the winery in honor of his father, John Innocent Vlossak, who first introduced him to wine. Vlossak built the estate's reputation on site-expressive, single-vineyard Pinot Noir, working closely with growers across the Willamette Valley to capture the character of each distinct location, and the winery remains guided by his belief that wine exists to complement good food.

The Villages Cuvée draws on fruit from several respected vineyard sites across the northern Willamette Valley, blended to build complexity and length rather than relying on any single source. The grapes were destemmed and fermented in a mix of small stainless steel and open-top oak vessels using native yeast, with no added sulfur during fermentation. After gentle pressing, the wine aged in French oak barrels, only a small portion of them new, for about a year before being bottled unfined by gravity.

This Pinot Noir shows red cherry, wild strawberry, and dark rose aromas layered with warm spice and a touch of smoke. On the palate it is juicy and bright, with flavors of dark cherry and allspice framed by soft tannins and lively acidity that carry through a long, gently spiced finish. It suits roast chicken, grilled salmon, or a plate of aged Gruyère and other firm cheeses.