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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.3 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 40 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by piedmoose on 1/25/2020 & rated 92 points: PnP. Almost opaque with slight bricking. Slight spices and wood on nose. Simple but pleasant body with some fine tannins at the front. Don’t see a lot of evolution happening with more bottle time. (884 views) | | | Tasted by Mossrose on 4/21/2019 & rated 94 points: My last bottle, kept open and sipped slowly for a week with no deterioration. Opaque purple, delicious, smoothly textured, very tasty red and black cherry,and mouth coating, with an excellent balance of acid and tannin. As fine as this 10 year old drinks now, could be fully enjoyed over another 4 years, with no need to drink up soon. (226 views) | | | Tasted by shorty01 on 9/4/2016 & rated 91 points: No need to wait on this one. In fact, best not to wait. Yum! (2500 views) | | | Tasted by Mossrose on 8/31/2016 & rated 94 points: A strong candidate for the best Pierre Leon ever made. Very dark red. Deep black and red cherry aromas. Delicious, concentrated, smooth, and flowing, plus an added blueberry and black plum fruit. Supremely silky with wonderfully integrated tannin, and a nearly endless finish. Has magnificently evolved into the best the 2009 vintage has ever tasted, with nothing tired or prematurely oxidized. (219 views) | | | Tasted by pbard on 7/19/2015 & rated 90 points: In a great drinking window at this point. Well integrated fruit and soft finish. (3035 views) | | | Tasted by pbard on 2/19/2015 & rated 91 points: Very well made, from a hot vintage so quite fruit forward, but great balance given that... (2632 views) | | | Tasted by jemccray64 on 12/13/2014 & rated 93 points: Perfectly peaked. Nose: Dusty spice, dark berries, Balsamwood, caramel. palate: earthy red berry, spicy finish (2585 views) | | | Tasted by ZagWine on 5/10/2014 & rated 88 points: Definitely a flowery nose. Very light. We decanted it for a hour, and would recommend it. Served with crab and shrimp, and it was delicious. Ready to drink now. (2001 views) | | | Tasted by dsgris on 2/25/2014 & rated 89 points: Medium ruby, lilac nose. Dry, fruity, medium body and fruit, cherry, blackberry, medium body with smooth mouthfeel. Not a lot of acid nor tannins, so long term aging is suspect. It should appeal in the short term to those who like a nice fruity easy drinking Pinot. While I prefer a more restrained acid forward wine this should appeal to many. (2201 views) | | | Tasted by Tequilahal on 8/27/2013 & rated 86 points: This probably needs some age. I did not find this up to the standards of this vineyard. Drinkable but not for guests. (2118 views) | | | Tasted by GFWeaver on 8/15/2013 & rated 88 points: Nice nose... Strawberry and a slight hint of warm baked goods. Palate was medium bodied, showing cherry and strawberry. Rather tart initially, which mellowed after 30 minutes but also lost a bit of its focus. Overall, a pleasing bottle of wine. (1736 views) | | | Tasted by aajder on 6/7/2013 & rated 87 points: Good color. On the nose, this shows nice dark red fruits, earth, herb, oak, and a hint of flowers. Reminds me of a Morey St. Denis. This is medium full bodied on the palate, with good concentration and good finesse. The finish is medium length, the oak tannins poke out a bit and the acidity could be a bit higher. (1691 views) | | | Tasted by Emvip on 4/24/2013 & rated 87 points: Pleasantly surprised. Cherry and strawberry were dominant, didn't get any terroir that's typical with OR Pinot. A little tart, medium finish, but overall enjoyable (1519 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 9/13/2012 & rated 90 points: Willamette Valley Producers visit San Francisco (Golden Gate Club in The Presidio, San Francisco, California): Medium dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; floral, tart red fruit nose; floral, tart red fruit, rosehips palate; medium-plus finish 90+ points (3785 views) | | | Tasted by Dannyfu on 8/30/2012 & rated 90 points: A medium bodied pinot with nice fruit and just a little oak. Nicely balanced with a nice finish. Not as earthy as many OR Pinots perhaps it was the vintage. (2152 views) | | | Tasted by schwank on 8/24/2012 & rated 88 points: Strawberry and cherry are prominent with a bit of spice and tannins over a medium finish. (1910 views) | | | Tasted by UpfromtheCellar on 8/15/2012 & rated 89 points: These folks must make about a thousand different bottlings! (don't believe me? Just type in WillaKenzie into cellartracker and see How Many bottlings come up!). Anyway, this one was delish! Light but very flavorful, balanced, smooth, good finish. It did not even make it past one round of pours it was so popular. Really nice. (1972 views) | | | Tasted by sabrage on 5/2/2012 & rated 89 points: Medium Crimson/brick color. Slow legs. Strawberry and Brioche nose. Tastes of Strawberry and very slight Earth. Nice balance (leans dry and bright). Slightly rough texture. Medium long finish. (1938 views) | | | Tasted by pbard on 5/1/2012 & rated 90 points: Funk on the nose, nice counterpoint to the fruit and moderate oak. Deep color, deep red fruit flavors on a long palette, some spice and fine grain tannins at the end. Reflective of the warm year, very well made. I would say New World if it wasn't such a cliche... (1534 views) | | | Tasted by stevemn on 4/7/2012 & rated 88 points: Medium body pinot with blueberry and cherry fruit and secondary flavors of spice and forest floor. Finishes with nice balance of fine grained tannins and a nice touch of oak. I didn't detect any hotness considering the vintage was a hot one. (1633 views) | | | Tasted by ksteiner on 2/12/2012 & rated 88 points: Nice bottle. (1690 views) | | | Tasted by gunpwdr on 1/31/2012 & rated 78 points: Nose: Cherry syrup, white pepper, wood spice, ripe red berries. Palate: Ripe, ripe, and more ripeness on the attack - red berries, sappy cherries, baking spices. So ripe and rich for me, I'm practically begging for the mid-palate to come and bring tannins, acidity, something. Thankfully it does but the it drops off pretty drastically from there. Sappy, overripe, and too much oak for me. Blind I would have guessed Sonoma coast, not Oregon. (1980 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Allen Meadows
Burghound, October 2012, Issue #48
(Willakenzie Estate Pinot Noir - Pierre Léon Villages Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (9/13/2012)
(WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Pierre Léon) Medium dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; floral, tart red fruit nose; floral, tart red fruit, rosehips palate; medium-plus finish 90+ points 90 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Burghound and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| WillaKenzie Estate Producer Website
Passion for Pinot with a Sense of Place is what defines WillaKenzie Estate, a family owned winery located in the heart of the Willamette Valley. We produce Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and small amounts of Pinot Meunier, Gamay Noir and Chardonnay. Our wines are made from grapes sustainably grown on the Estate and their Old World style reflect our French heritage. Come visit and taste Oregon terroir at its best!
Early Years
WillaKenzie Estate Winery is the longtime dream of co-founder Bernard Lacroute. After a successful career in high tech, Bernard decided to return to his Burgundian roots and grow Pinot Noir.
Finding an Ideal Site
The Lacroutes (Bernard and then wife Ronni Lacroute) searched for a suitable grape growing site for several years and finally purchased a cattle ranch in January 1991 just outside Yamhill, Oregon. The rolling hills of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA (American Viticultural Area) are ideal for growing world-class Pinot Noir. They named the property WillaKenzie Estate after the ancient Willakenzie sedimentary soil on which the vineyards are planted.
The First WillaKenzie Vines
As the Lacroutes laid the foundation for what would become a small, family-owned Oregon winery, they knew their goal would always be to make wines reflecting the place on which the vines are grown. In 1992, they planted their first vineyards on south-facing slopes replacing pasture, blackberries, and poison oak. Additional plantings in Yamhill continued through 2001. Today, 105 acres of grape vines (about a quarter of the Willamette Valley estate) are planted around untouched stands of Douglas fir, oak, and maple trees. Two-thirds of the vineyards are Pinot Noir, primarily Dijon clones as well as some of the Pinot Noir varietal clones originally planted in Oregon. Remaining vineyards are planted to Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, Gamay Noir, and Chardonnay.
The WillaKenzie Estate Jory Hills Vineyard
In 2000, the Lacroutes purchased 95 acres of land in the Dundee Hills AVA of Oregon, again naming the vineyard after its soil type: Jory (of volcanic origin). To date 25 acres have been planted at the Jory Hills vineyard, using various clones of Pinot Noir vines.
Building the WillaKenzie Winery
Construction of the Lacroutes’ state-of-the-art, multi-level, gravity-flow winery was completed in 1995, just in time to make the wines from their first Oregon harvest. Since then, they have continued to make improvements, building an innovative facility in 2007 to dramatically cool their grapes before processing as well as a large solar array and new tasting room in 2010. Today, production remains at around 20,000 cases, no plans to increase further. Instead, emphasis remains on quality wine, not quantity.
After nearly two decades, WillaKenzie Estate has remained true to its founding principles. We are dedicated to sustainable viticulture and organic vineyard farming practices with the goal of making Willamette Valley wines that reflect the distinctive character of our land and the diversity of our extensive clonal plantings.Pinot Noir Varietal character (Appellation America) | Varietal article (Wikipedia)
Pinot Noir is the Noble red grape of Burgundy, capable of ripening in a cooler climate, which Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will not reliably do. It is unpredictable and difficult both to grow and to vinify, but results in some of the finest reds in the world. It is believed to have been selected from wild vines two thousand years ago. It is also used in the production of champagne. In fact, more Pinot Noir goes into Champagne than is used in all of the Cote d'Or! It is also grown in Alsace, Jura, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, and so forth, with varying degrees of success.
Pinot Noir is one of the world's most prestigious grapes. It is very difficult to grow and thrives well in France, especially in Champagne and Burgundy. Pinot Noir thrives less in hot areas, is picky on soil, and deserves some oak storage.
Pinot Noir, or Blauburgunder / Spätburgunder in German, is a blue grapevine - and, as the German name suggests, the grape comes originally from Burgundy in France.
The grape, which thrives in calcareous soils, is used primarily for the production of red wine, and it is widely regarded as producing some of the best wines in the world. The wine style is often medium-bodied with high fruit acidity and soft tannins. It can be quite peculiar in fragrance and taste, and not least in structure - which may be why it is referred to as "The Grapes Ballerina".
Pinot Noir is also an important ingredient in sparkling wines, not least in champagne since it is fruity, has good acidity and contains relatively little tannins.
The grape is considered quite demanding to grow. The class itself consists of tightly packed grapes, which makes it more sensitive to rot and other diseases.
Pinot Noir changes quite easily and is genetically unstable. It buds and matures early which results in it often being well ripened. Climate is important for this type of grape. It likes best in cool climates - in warm climates the wines can be relaxed and slightly pickled.
In cooler climates, the wine can get a hint of cabbage and wet leaves, while in slightly warmer regions we often find notes of red berries (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants), roses and slightly green notes when the wine is young. With age, more complex aromas of forest floor, fungi and meat emerge.
In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, it often produces light wines with less character. However, it has produced very good results in California, Oregon and New Zealand.
With its soft tannins and delicate aroma, it is excellent for white fish, chicken and light meat. For the stored wines you can serve small game. Classic duck breast is a matter of course, a Boeuf Burgundy and Pinot Noir are pure happiness.
Pinot Noir loses quality by over-harvesting.
Pinot Noir is prone to diseases, especially rot and mildew. Viruses cause major problems especially in Burgundy.
Pinot Noir are large round grapes with thin skins. Relatively high in alcohol content. Medium rich tannins and good with acid.
As a young person, Pinot Noir has a distinctly fruity character such as raspberries, cherries and strawberries.
A mature Pinot Noir, the taste is different. Cherry goes into plum and prune flavors. It smells of rotten leaves, coffee, moist forest floor and animal wine. This must be experienced.
In warm climates you find boiled plum, some rustic, little acid.
If the grapes are over-grown, the wine will be thin, with little color and flavor.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.Oregon Oregon Wine, Oregon Wineries (Oregon Wine Board)Willamette Valley Willamette Valley Wineries Association | Willamette Valley (Oregon Wine Board)
On weinlagen-info including some single vineyards
Willamette Valley Vintage Reviews
Yamhill-CarltonThe vineyards of the Yamhill-Carlton District were planted mostly in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. The primary soil of this area is called Willakenzie, named after the Willamette and McKenzie rivers. It is a sedimentary soil with a sandstone base rock. The sand content is quite high and the soil therefore very well drained. The sites are generally on the lower slopes of a volcanic ridge. Wines of the area possess aromas of red and black fruits, with added elements of cocoa, leather and fresh-turned earth. Acidity levels are generally lower than other regions, prompting these wines to be lush and agreeable in their youth.
The single vineyards on weinlagen-info |
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