2009 Elk Cove - Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

This fresh red is inviting and invigorating for its juicy black currant, plum and white pepper flavors, playing with zest against polished tannins and lively acidity. Drink now through 2019. 14,000 cases made.

2009 was a vintage of abundance. Ideal springtime weather led to a hot summer, which gave us a beautiful, uniform and potentially prolific crop. Warm temperatures at harvest time lulled some growers into picking late, at potentially high alcohols. The right decision, top winemakers agree, was to get the grapes in while they still had fresh flavors. As always, we showed our commitment to quality by thinning and green harvesting to achieve earlier ripening and better concentration of flavors. As winemaker, Adam Campbell, states “harvest went off without a hitch and we picked the grapes at a deliberate but frankly leisurely pace which allowed focusing on retained acidity.� So, vintage 2009 may be remembered as one of those rare combinations of excellent quality and quantity, with the wines showing flash. All of Elk Cove’s delicate Pinot Noir fruit undergoes the same meticulous vineyard management and gentle handling through our gravity flow system, thus achieving the elegance, texture and luscious quality that are the hallmarks of exquisite Pinot Noirs. From the early pioneering days to now, our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir has remained the foundation of Elk Cove Vineyards. This Pinot Noir is blended from several select vineyard sites comprised of Pommard and Dijon plant material and shows the softest, most approachable drinking style Elk Cove makes.