2018 Joe Swick Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Region: Willamette Valley < Oregon

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: organic farming; whole clusters are first foot pressed, then bladder pressed after fermentation

Sourced from Silvershot Vineyard and Cancilla Vineyard; whole-cluster fermentation followed by a short eight months aging in both 500 and 228-liter neutral French oak barrels; bottled unfined, unfiltered, with no added sulfites; 12.8% ABV

Winemaker: Joe Swick

Joe Swick is a 5th generation Oregonian winemaker who is somewhat of a natural wine pioneer in the Pacific Northwest. After traveling and working in wine all over, he returned to Oregon to start his own label in 2013. Like many young natural winemakers, he doesn’t own any vineyards but sources grapes from organic or biodynamic vineyards in the Willamette and Columbia Valleys of Oregon and Washington.  He makes a bunch of different bottles, most with no added So2, and all with cheeky names. This is his ode to the Willamette Valley, with 100% Pommard Clone Pinot. Light-ish bodied and playful, it tastes like the valley, with all of those river pebbles, minerals and forest floor notes, along with juicy black fruits (black cherry, blackberry, black raspberry) and warm, wintry spices like clove and cinnamon. A delicious and satisfying Pinot Noir that punches well above its weightier -- and more spendy -- counterparts.