2018 Brittan Vineyards 'Gestalt Block' Pinot Noir McMinnville

Winemaker Notes:  The 2018 Gestalt Block Pinot Noir showcases the essence of the 2018 vintage, with intense concentration, serious structure and chewy, drying tannins. You’ll find notes of graphite, pencil shavings, thyme, sage and a hint of vanilla on the nose, leading to elderberry, black currant, choke cherry and cacao on the palate. Decant if opening now or lay down for long-term development.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "The 2018 Pinot Noir Gestalt Block is powerful and fragrant. Bass tones of roasted coffee and cocoa give way to plums, orange peel, forest floor and violet. The palate is bursting with dark, spicy fruit, firmly structured and vibrant, with a very long, iron-and-violet finish. This will require another 3-5+ years in bottle to really unwind and will be long-lived in the cellar."


Wine Enthusiast - "The Brittan wines are all estate grown and designated by the particular soils underlying the different blocks of vines. Here the underlying basalt reduces crop load to less than one ton of fruit an acre, a miniscule reward for the work involved. The strong Van Duzer winds thicken the skins, punching up tannins. This is an extreme example of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, yet brilliantly realized. Tight, tough and tannic, it's packed with mountain blackberry fruit, framed with sharp herbs and finished with residual flavors of black tea. Drink 2025–2035. Cellar Selection"


James Suckling - "Aromas of dark cherries, plums, cassis, dried herbs and baking spices. It’s medium-bodied with chalky tannins and crisp acidity. Concentrated blue and dark fruit here, with a chalky texture and a herbal, mineral finish."