2021 St. Innocent - Pinot Noir Momtazi (750ml)

St. Innocent Winery was founded in Salem, Oregon in 1988 by Mark Vlossak, a former pediatric physician assistant who left medicine after being inspired by a prediction that America's greatest sparkling wine would come from Oregon. He spent five years studying winemaking, including graduate work at U.C. Davis and an apprenticeship with Oregon pioneer Fred Arterberry, before launching the winery, which he named in honor of his father. Vlossak built his reputation on nuanced, food-friendly Pinot Noir sourced from a growing list of the Willamette Valley's most respected vineyard sites.

The Momtazi Vineyard sits in the McMinnville AVA, farmed biodynamically under Demeter certification on steep, wind-exposed hillsides at elevations between 680 and 760 feet. Fruit for this bottling comes from four blocks planted in 1999 and 2004 on thin, poor soils with a south and southwest facing exposure. The destemmed grapes fermented naturally in a mix of stainless steel and Burgundy oak vessels without added sulfur, then aged for sixteen months in French oak, twenty percent of it new, before being bottled unfined.

The wine shows an herbal edge alongside orange rind and a whisper of peppermint on the nose, with savory plum and blueberry fruit layered against crushed stone and forest floor notes. The palate is medium bodied and structured, with white pepper spice building through a long finish. Its earthy, savory character pairs well with duck confit, roasted lamb, or a rustic country pâté.