Important Update From the Founder

Connoisseur of Oregon Wines Series, Class 5: Westrey Wine Company

McMinnville, Oregon

Tasted December 8, 2012 by VinLancaster with 322 views

Introduction

Taken from PCC wine class description:
Amy Wessleman:
"Amy is winemaker/owner of Westrey and Executive Director of the Int'l Pinot Noir Celebration, hosting 800 guests and 70 winemakers annually. Explore IPNC's contribution to Oregon wine through building relationships with wineries worldwide."

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Amy Wessleman and her husband/partner David Autrey make classic Burgundian styled Oregon Pinot Noir with elegance, grace and equity. With their early training spent in Burgundy as well as additional apprenticeships working for some of the most respected Oregon PN pioneers, their wines truly stand out among many higher end Oregon Pinot Noirs.

Flight 1 (4 notes)

White

2011 Westrey Pinot Gris Willamette Valley USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

90 points

Fermened & aged in s/s, did not go through ML.
Pear, newly cut grass, wet slate and apple fragrances. Plenty of beaming acidity, tart pear and crisp apple on the tongue. Light, but glowing with character, balance and an exquisite pureness.

Comment

Red

2010 Westrey Pinot Noir Willamette Valley USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

90 points

Brilliant essence of the forest; mushrooms, Oregon white truffles, strawberries and freshly overturned wet-loess. Subtle and elegant cherry top notes, clay, culinary fungi, green tea and a hint of anise or fennel seed. Incredibly balanced fruit, acids and structural elements with zero heat. 90+. Revisit in 2014+

Comment

Red

2009 Westrey Pinot Noir Oracle Vineyard USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

91 points

Redolence of cherries, wet brick, cranberry, cloves and sultry wet soil. Rich on the red cherry palate with silt, graphite, fresh bark and green herbal notes. Round, but polished and well balanced. Finishes with silk and incredible length. Very well made wine with copious structure and elegance.

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Red

2009 Westrey Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

91 points

A bit of funk, a darkness, earthy-blackened soil and moss aromatics. Black and red fruit meet silty earth with a brightness from acidity on the palate. Round with spiced clove and cranberry on the mid-palate. Finishes robust, but not over the top. Leaning more toward the masculine spectrum in comparison to the '09 Oracle. Another brilliantly made wine by the Wesselman/Austrey project.

Comment

Closing

Amy provided us with a tour of the winery/barrel room including some of the 2012 wines in barrel along with the bottled selections during the tasting.

2012 Chardonnay x2 separate barrels (neutral oak):
One with native wild yeast showing brightness, purity of fruit and tart flavors. The other with added purchased yeast which revealed vanilla, pears and was more subtle.

2012 Abbey Ridge PN: Still undergoing ML.
Still undergoing ML. Big and ripe, already showing signs of depth.

2012 Oracle PN: Undergoing ML.
Minty and spiced. Fruit is in a funky (ML) stage, but this was clean and offering early indications of backbone qualities

Connoisseur of Oregon Wines Series, Class 5: Westrey Wine Company

McMinnville, Oregon

Introduction

Flight 1 (4 notes)

Closing

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