2020 Harvest Cru Pinot Noir
Yamhill-Carlton AVA
Tasting Notes
Shows off deep color in the glass. The aromas are high-toned with cherry pith, crème de cassis, tobacco, tea leaf, and candied violets. The palate is concentrated with a smooth entry of juicy cherries, dusty cranberries, spice, and hints of dark chocolate on the long, grainy finish. 190 cases made.
About Harvest Crew
For the first time the Harvest Cru – “Cru” a play on words for Crew – will be released under the Pike Road label. It represents a special lot of grapes that were lovingly vinted by our 2020 Harvest interns. Typically a very international team, with the COVID pandemic in full force, the “cru” in 2020 was made up of mostly Americans due to travel restrictions.
The Harvest Cru is a bit like a senior project where the entire harvest team is given a block of grapes from a designated vineyard and allowed to make all the decisions under the guidance of our winemakers. In 2020, that vineyard block came from Mount Richmond East, a prized Elk Cove vineyard site known for producing dark, rich Pinot Noirs.
2020 Vintage
The 2020 growing season started with a small fruit-set and mild summer weather. Soon we faced the challenges of farming during a pandemic and wildfires, but we, along with our growing partners managed to adapt to the difficulties of the vintage. We ran more laboratory tests than ever before, with dozens of samples sent to multiple laboratories, and are committed to releasing only wines free of smoke-affect that passed our rigorous tests. In 2020 you can expect wines with great concentration and freshness of the fruit.