2021 Jessie James Vineyard Pinot Noir
The Terroir:
The Eola-Amity Hills is situated to the immediate east of the Van Duzer Corridor, the "air-conditioning" pathway through the Coast Range where marine air enters from the west and cools the Willamette Valley. the high-density (2,400 vines/acre), four-acre planting of vines at Jessie James is east-facing at high elevation‒ripening here is patient and harvest is usually the first week of October. Furthermore, the vineyard is in a rain shadow, allowing the grapes to reach peak maturity with less risk of botrytis rot. The Nekia soil (shallow, rocky volcanic basalt) provides appropriate stress to the plants, resulting in sparse canopies and loose clusters with small berries and thick skins. The wines display exceptional depth and complexity of structure and fruit, with freshness and compact intensity. We lease the vineyard from Jessica and James Lee, from whom the vineyard takes its name, and we farm according to organic principles.
Reviews:
98+ - Jeb Dunnuck "The 2021 Pinot Noir Jessie James Vineyard sports a deeper ruby hue, although it’s still clear, and it’s fantastic now in the glass, opening with notes of black and red fruit, wild violets, piney herbs, and layered earth. Medium-bodied, with a lot of completeness, it’s super-seamless in its structure, with ripe tannins, even, mouthwatering acidity, and a long finish. Drink 2025-2045.” - August 2024
95 - International Wine Report "Boasting a neon medium ruby core with a silvery rim in the glass, the 2021 Jessie James Pinot Noir from Martin Woods is gorgeous. Like its sibling, the Hyland Vineyard, this one has a nose that won’t stop and kept me coming back time and time again over the 15 minutes I was tasting. More blue fruit - think wild blueberries and huckleberries alongside those lemony herbs and earth-driven components. It finishes long with a blue-fruit note that hits the mid-palate and doesn’t let go for minutes.” - January 2024
95 - Decanter "The Jessie James site is east facing, meaning it's shaded from the afternoon heat and may take a bit longer to ripen, but it's positioned in a rain shadow, and so remains protected into the early autumn. Aromatics of sous bois, pine bough, and notes of sweet early-season strawberry lead into a palate of sappy black and red berry fruits, notes of black tea all framed by fine tannin and a wonderful structure.” - May 2023
95 - Vinous "The 2021 Pinot Noir Jessie James Vineyard lifts with a finessed blend of dried black cherries and rose petals offset by dusty stone and hints of lavender. This is lifted in feel, with textures of pure silk engulfing the palate in a cloak of ripe wild berries as savory spices and touches of blood orange slowly drench the palate. It finishes long yet fresh, displaying a peppery tinge as a web of fine-grained tannins lingers, and a minty freshness slowly fades. There's a lot of potential here, but patience will be required.” - January 2024
98 - Wine Advocate, 2019 Jessie James Pinot Noir
Our Tasting Notes:
Red-black cherries, forest floor & subtle tree bark spice—elegant & balanced texture with a mouth-watering fine thread of structure, acidity and minerals framing the fruit—long, resonant finish, both complex and immediately pleasurable
The Terroir:
The Eola-Amity Hills is situated to the immediate east of the Van Duzer Corridor, the "air-conditioning" pathway through the Coast Range where marine air enters from the west and cools the Willamette Valley. the high-density (2,400 vines/acre), four-acre planting of vines at Jessie James is east-facing at high elevation‒ripening here is patient and harvest is usually the first week of October. Furthermore, the vineyard is in a rain shadow, allowing the grapes to reach peak maturity with less risk of botrytis rot. The Nekia soil (shallow, rocky volcanic basalt) provides appropriate stress to the plants, resulting in sparse canopies and loose clusters with small berries and thick skins. The wines display exceptional depth and complexity of structure and fruit, with freshness and compact intensity. We lease the vineyard from Jessica and James Lee, from whom the vineyard takes its name, and we farm according to organic principles.
Reviews:
98+ - Jeb Dunnuck "The 2021 Pinot Noir Jessie James Vineyard sports a deeper ruby hue, although it’s still clear, and it’s fantastic now in the glass, opening with notes of black and red fruit, wild violets, piney herbs, and layered earth. Medium-bodied, with a lot of completeness, it’s super-seamless in its structure, with ripe tannins, even, mouthwatering acidity, and a long finish. Drink 2025-2045.” - August 2024
95 - International Wine Report "Boasting a neon medium ruby core with a silvery rim in the glass, the 2021 Jessie James Pinot Noir from Martin Woods is gorgeous. Like its sibling, the Hyland Vineyard, this one has a nose that won’t stop and kept me coming back time and time again over the 15 minutes I was tasting. More blue fruit - think wild blueberries and huckleberries alongside those lemony herbs and earth-driven components. It finishes long with a blue-fruit note that hits the mid-palate and doesn’t let go for minutes.” - January 2024
95 - Decanter "The Jessie James site is east facing, meaning it's shaded from the afternoon heat and may take a bit longer to ripen, but it's positioned in a rain shadow, and so remains protected into the early autumn. Aromatics of sous bois, pine bough, and notes of sweet early-season strawberry lead into a palate of sappy black and red berry fruits, notes of black tea all framed by fine tannin and a wonderful structure.” - May 2023
95 - Vinous "The 2021 Pinot Noir Jessie James Vineyard lifts with a finessed blend of dried black cherries and rose petals offset by dusty stone and hints of lavender. This is lifted in feel, with textures of pure silk engulfing the palate in a cloak of ripe wild berries as savory spices and touches of blood orange slowly drench the palate. It finishes long yet fresh, displaying a peppery tinge as a web of fine-grained tannins lingers, and a minty freshness slowly fades. There's a lot of potential here, but patience will be required.” - January 2024
98 - Wine Advocate, 2019 Jessie James Pinot Noir
Our Tasting Notes:
Red-black cherries, forest floor & subtle tree bark spice—elegant & balanced texture with a mouth-watering fine thread of structure, acidity and minerals framing the fruit—long, resonant finish, both complex and immediately pleasurable
The Terroir:
The Eola-Amity Hills is situated to the immediate east of the Van Duzer Corridor, the "air-conditioning" pathway through the Coast Range where marine air enters from the west and cools the Willamette Valley. the high-density (2,400 vines/acre), four-acre planting of vines at Jessie James is east-facing at high elevation‒ripening here is patient and harvest is usually the first week of October. Furthermore, the vineyard is in a rain shadow, allowing the grapes to reach peak maturity with less risk of botrytis rot. The Nekia soil (shallow, rocky volcanic basalt) provides appropriate stress to the plants, resulting in sparse canopies and loose clusters with small berries and thick skins. The wines display exceptional depth and complexity of structure and fruit, with freshness and compact intensity. We lease the vineyard from Jessica and James Lee, from whom the vineyard takes its name, and we farm according to organic principles.
Reviews:
98+ - Jeb Dunnuck "The 2021 Pinot Noir Jessie James Vineyard sports a deeper ruby hue, although it’s still clear, and it’s fantastic now in the glass, opening with notes of black and red fruit, wild violets, piney herbs, and layered earth. Medium-bodied, with a lot of completeness, it’s super-seamless in its structure, with ripe tannins, even, mouthwatering acidity, and a long finish. Drink 2025-2045.” - August 2024
95 - International Wine Report "Boasting a neon medium ruby core with a silvery rim in the glass, the 2021 Jessie James Pinot Noir from Martin Woods is gorgeous. Like its sibling, the Hyland Vineyard, this one has a nose that won’t stop and kept me coming back time and time again over the 15 minutes I was tasting. More blue fruit - think wild blueberries and huckleberries alongside those lemony herbs and earth-driven components. It finishes long with a blue-fruit note that hits the mid-palate and doesn’t let go for minutes.” - January 2024
95 - Decanter "The Jessie James site is east facing, meaning it's shaded from the afternoon heat and may take a bit longer to ripen, but it's positioned in a rain shadow, and so remains protected into the early autumn. Aromatics of sous bois, pine bough, and notes of sweet early-season strawberry lead into a palate of sappy black and red berry fruits, notes of black tea all framed by fine tannin and a wonderful structure.” - May 2023
95 - Vinous "The 2021 Pinot Noir Jessie James Vineyard lifts with a finessed blend of dried black cherries and rose petals offset by dusty stone and hints of lavender. This is lifted in feel, with textures of pure silk engulfing the palate in a cloak of ripe wild berries as savory spices and touches of blood orange slowly drench the palate. It finishes long yet fresh, displaying a peppery tinge as a web of fine-grained tannins lingers, and a minty freshness slowly fades. There's a lot of potential here, but patience will be required.” - January 2024
98 - Wine Advocate, 2019 Jessie James Pinot Noir
Our Tasting Notes:
Red-black cherries, forest floor & subtle tree bark spice—elegant & balanced texture with a mouth-watering fine thread of structure, acidity and minerals framing the fruit—long, resonant finish, both complex and immediately pleasurable
