Vintage: 2017

Wine Name/Vineyard: Old Vine Pinot Noir

Wine Category: Pinot Noir

Grape blend: 100% Pinot Noir (Cuvée)

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Willamette Valley

State or country: Oregon

Price: $30

ABV: 13.3%

Cases produced: N/A

The Barrel Cellar Score:  91 points

Review date: October 14, 2019

About the Winemaker: I’ve become a bit of an Oregon Pinot Noir connoisseur. I love the earthiness the Willamette Valley terroir provides. Additionally, the Oregon winemakers manage to achieve fantastic refinement with consistency year after year. Hyland Estate Winery has been making wine in Oregon since the “beginning” of the wine region; their first grapes were planted in 1971. One of my first Oregon wow moments came nearly a decade ago on my first of what would become many visits to Hyland’s tasting room. Owner and wine maker Laurent Montalieu is making some well thought out, complex, and refined wines, wines that can stand up next to some of the other, perhaps more recognized wines in the region.

Color:  Auburn

Nose:  Cherry blossom, earth

Taste: Red berries, hints of cherry, vanilla bean, and melon.  Finish: Black pepper

Assessment: Hyland Estate Winery’s Estate Pinot Noir has a medium body and a silky texture. Still in its youth, it has nice tannins and acidity while boasting plentiful complexity in both nose and palate that will continue to improve and evolve with age. Sustained finish with tannins and spice. This wine is easy to appreciate now but will evolve nicely with some more time in the bottle.

At around $30 this wine is a great value and will make a great addition to your cellar.  Visit Hyland Estate Winery’s website here.  

Pairing recommendation:  Ribeye Beef Bourguignon, aged cheddar, dark chocolate

Hyland Estate Winery 2017 Estate Pinot Noir is a very good wine.  91 points