2005 Notorious Pinot Noir

2005 Notorious: Our best wine keeps evolving…and expanding. From just one barrel bottled in 2000 to our new high water mark of 12 barrels in 2005. On top of that it has developed from being a product of the best of the new barrels we added lees back to from Balcombe Vineyard to a blend that now includes Balcombe (50%), Estate Vineyard (25%), Eason Vineyard (17%) and Whistling Ridge Vineyard (8%). Our goal is to create a wine that is unique, exotic, ageworthy and absolutely incredible. As our vineyards improve with both age and quality of care our ability to choose from an increasingly large selection of fantastic wines makes this blend better and better each vintage

This is, as always, our only wine that is made in 100% new Cadus barrels. The 2005 shows the richness, suppleness and deep fruit from its Dundee Hill sources but the backbone of minerality, acidity and tannin comes from the 2 Ribbon Ridge sites. This blend is a terrific marriage of these two appellations as there is the core of sweet red cherries that is plush in nature but also intense and firm that is the soulof great Dundee Hill Pinots. This is offset by the darker blackberry fruit, stoniness and firm structure that makes up the backbone of the best that Ribbon Ridge has to offer. As a blend the Oregon bottling may be a general showcase of the vintage, but the Notorious bottling is a spotlight on what we consider to be the absolute best of our best wines. 275 cases bottled.