2022 Sidekick Cuvee Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley AVA
Tasting Notes:
A small production Pinot Noir with juicy blueberry and raspberry as main fruit elements. This special blend has layers of fruit, spice, and a touch of cedary oak.
The Sidekick Cuvee:
The Sidekick Cuvee is 100% northern Willamette Valley fruit. This includes smaller lots of Pinot Noir fruit grown by trusted partners and blended by our talented Winemaker Heather Perkin. By selecting fruit just a handful of these wonderful growers we're able to produce a small-production Willamette Valley Pinot Noir for all our club members and fans who discover our delicious Pinot Noirs! Vintage after vintage the Sidekick Cuvee overdelivers in both value and complexity.
The 2022 Vintage:
A year that kept us guessing, 2022 was an unusual vintage in the northern Willamette Valley. April brought one of our latest snows on record, with growers worried about frost damage. Thankfully, most vineyard sites set a generous crop which after a slow spring required thinning to encourage ripening. Temperatures finally warmed in August and September, but cool nights ensured adequate hangtime and flavor development. A string of sunny October days gave us the final ripening we desperately needed. Nearly every block of fruit was ready over a compressed two-week period, so the fruit arrived at peak ripeness during a very intense harvest season in the cellar. We expect our hard work to be rewarded with complex, fruit-forward wines.