Pinot Noir
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
Paired Album
This entire album, just like the Jessie James Pinot Noir, is brilliant, from the attack to the finish. Let us however highlight one of our favorite tracks: The Calling. The more you listen, the more you note the compositional brilliance. We feel strongly that this artist, and this site…are prolific. Makaya McCraven - In These Times, 2022
2022 Koosah 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 blows in from the Pacific Ocean, lowering the growing season temperatures as well as elevating the presence of salinity in the wines. Koosah, which in the Coast Salish dialect means "beautiful ceiling of the sky", sits at the very top elevation (1,100 feet) along the upper slope of a dramatic drainage that runs all the way down to the valley floor (200 feet). The cool, east-southeast aspect combined with the slope's prominent wind exposure, leads to especially extended hang times and patient development of complex flavors. Koosah is without question one of the most thoughtfully-planted vineyards in the Willamette's history, but also one of the riskiest. Fall rains will almost always threaten the harvest. Yet these calculated risks are already paying dividends: bright acidity, perfectly ripe fruit, and lifted aromatics. Furthermore, the shallow topsoil and rocky volcanic subsoil provide balanced stress to the vines, resulting in open canopies, restrained yields, and berries that develop thicker skins, leading to wines of remarkable texture, tension, and fine structure. Altogether, Koosah is evidence of the promise that Willamette Valley Pinot Noir's greatest days are present and future.
Reviews:
98 - Jeb Dunnuck: "The medium red 2021 Pinot Noir Koosah Vineyard is outstanding and really in a great place, with notes of pristine ripe cherries, raspberries, preserved roses, and all the layers of the previous wines. It is seamless on the palate, with plush, velvety tannins, clean, even acidity, and a lovely, tapered finish, which floats away ever so slowly. This is another outstanding wine from this site, which was purchased by Resonance (Jadot) in 2022. Drink it over the next 20 years."
98 - International Wine Report: "The 2022 Martin Woods Pinot Noir from Koosah Vineyard is a true standout, showcasing a glowing neon ruby core with a subtle bluish rim. This vintage bursts with rich and deep fruit aromas of mountain blueberries, complemented by green peppercorns, sassafras, dried rosemary, and crushed walnut shells. The depth of fruit is beautifully balanced by an underlying tension, creating a captivating interplay on the palate. Medium tannins and moderate acidity frame the wine, while the long, lingering finish leaves a lasting impression. This is undoubtedly the best wine from the Martin Woods 2022 vintage, poised for greatness with a bit more time in the bottle. Better to enjoy from 2025, with potential lasting through 2040.”
96 - Decanter: ‘The Pinot Noir from Koosah is one of the most spice-driven among the Martin Woods releases, with green aromatic notes of mint, rose hip oil and sassafras. This wine has an alpine-like freshness. The young vines at Koosah Vineyard, sitting at the highest elevation in the Valley—a name from the Kalapuya Native American people meaning 'beautiful ceiling of the sky'—yield a beautifully balanced and vibrant wine. The vineyard’s poetic name appropriately describes the wine, which features bold aromatics yet impressive freshness on the palate, with notes of mint, pine, and green spices on the finish. It is a medium-bodied wine with soft, grippy tannins”
Our Tasting Notes:
Nose presents a pronounced perfume of sun-kissed red/black fruits, alpine meadow florals, warm spice & minerals—beautifully textured with melted, fine-grain tannin structure woven into the sauve, mouth-filling palate— lovely in so many ways—enjoy now or cellar 10-15+ years.
Paired Album
With words, sometimes less is more. That’s certainly the case in this album, and probably should be in this description. Do yourself a favor and put this album on with an open bottle of the 2021 Koosah Pinot Noir, and explore this pairing yourself, or ideally with a friend or three. Ikebe Shakedown - Stone by Stone, 2014
2022 Bednarik Vineyard Pinot Noir
The Terroir:
Bednarik vineyard is situated in the far northwest of the Willamette Valley, nestled into the foothills of Oregon's Coast Range near Cherry Grove. The microclimate here is cool and the mature self-rooted vines are patient to ripen. The well-drained marine sediments provide the vines a balanced stress, resulting in naturally-restrained yields, limited canopy growth, and lots of air flow and sun exposure, translating to Pinot noir with concentrated red fruit and distinctively energetic texture. Bednarik always presents wonderfully expressive floral and spice-driven perfume and the palate becomes increasingly silken with age. We are truly privileged to work with three of the eight total acres at this very special, mature vineyard.
Reviews:
96 - Decanter: “The Bednarik is a wine from own-rooted vines planted in the late 1980s in a secluded part of the Tualatin Hills appellation. With generous aromas of strawberries and cranberries that blend so well with the spice’s notes of cinnamon and clove and a hint of sweetness on the palate. Fleshy sweet cherries and blue mountain berries bring a core of ripe fruits to notes of dried herb and rich nori. The smoky saline note carries the lengthy mineral finish."
95+ - Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2022 Pinot Noir Bednarik Vineyard pours a deeper hue and reveals notes of tomato leaf, spice, clove, roses, and ripe cranberries. Medium-bodied, it has more structure than the 2023 at this stage, with fine-grained tannins and its spice coming through on the palate as well. It has a long finish and gains in intensity, with notes of incense as well as blood orange spice and a long finish that holds on."
93 - Vinous: "The 2022 Pinot Noir Bednarik Vineyard opens with a dark and intense bouquet that blends cloves and allspice with dusty sage and depths of dried black cherry. Velvety in texture yet lifted in feel, the 2022 holds its power in reserve, displaying a spicy burst of tart wild berry fruits offset by a spike of zesty acidity. A staining of primary concentration adds youthful poise alongside grippy tannins as an air of lavender and licorice lingers. This is an unbridled beast."
OurTasting Notes:
Red fruits and florals, earth, cinnamon, and allspice—silken red fruit—long, energetic, resonant finish
Paired Album
These two are incredibly symbiotic. As Vinous described this wine… “an unbridled beast”. A little dark and intense, while silken and spicy. The pleasure and nuance of each is immediate and long-lasting. We’ve put both on repeat, again and again. vbnd - Daughter of the Sun, 2018
2022 Hyland Vineyard Pinot Noir
The Terroir:
Hyland vineyard is one of the Willamette Valley's historic vineyards, originally planted in the early 1970s with clonal selections of Riesling and Pinot noir that were suit-cased back from Alsace. These vines are now referred to as "Coury" selections‒named for Charles Coury who did the massale selection. Our blocks of Dijon 115 and Coury Pinot noir were both planted (ungrafted) in 1989 in old Coast Range basalt (volcanic) soil. The deeply-rooted vines have thus far resisted phylloxera and instead show signs of health and longevity. The vineyard is farmed organically and without irrigation. Hyland is advantageously situated both in the foothills of the Coast Range mountains and within the van duzer gap, the "air-conditioning" pathway through the Coast Range where marine air enters from the west and cools the Willamette Valley. Persistent wind spills over this neighborhood, moderating temperatures and allowing for patient ripening and retention of fresh acidity. I find there is always a distinct textural elegance, freshness and length to this wine, coupled with wonderfully lifted and complex aromatics, that delights me year after year.
Reviews:
96 - Decanter: "From one of the oldest vineyards in the Willamette Valley, this Pinot Noir comes from own-rooted blocks planted in both 1988 and 89. Winemaker Evan Martin described Hyland's signature as having a ‘noble reduction’ and not much skin tannin. This Pinot Noir offers complexity without power. It's a playful dance of aromas, including blueberries, macerated plums, and a sprinkle of mulling spices, smoked cinnamon and an orange peel twist, all wrapped up with rose petal flourishes. Off the bat, it shows the silken texture that's possible with the own-rooted Pinot Noirs in the Willamette Valley. The palate offers a mix of blue fruits, spicy red berries, and mouthfuls of smoky violet tones. It's a captivating wine at such a young age. On the palate, it’s a savoury delight, showing off beautiful minerality, well-balanced acidity, and just the right touch of astringency due to the well-thought 17 months on lees. Simply elegant, I guess that's what they call a classic."
96 - Jeb Dunnuck: "Medium ruby and very transparent but very pretty, the 2022 Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard is more savory and herbal, with a sappy note that floats in as well as tomato leaf, loess, wild red berries, and fresh flowers. Medium-bodied, finessed, and refined, with an even feel of freshness, it has perfect balance."
Our Tasting Notes:
Delicate red fruits, forest floor, mulling spice—fresh acidity married to silken tannins—lithe, elegant, resonant finish
Paired Album
This album is undoubtedly one of our favorite albums to cook to at the winery, and we cook a lot. Just like the Hyland Pinot Noir, it hits the spot, every time. An instant classic you can always count on. Surprise Chef - All News Is Good News, 2020
2022 Temperance Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
The Terroir:
Temperance Hill is one of the oldest and highest elevation (650-870 feet) vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills, farmed (organically and without irrigation) for the last twenty years by Dai Crisp, who gives the vines remarkably thoughtful attention and care. Temperance is advantageously situated in the direct path of cool, salt-laden air blowing in from the Pacific Ocean through the coast range mountains by way of the Van Duzer Gap. The persistent wind moderates the microclimate and allows for extended hang times, with restrained sugar accumulation, retention of fresh acidity, and a contribution of delicate salinity. Plantings have been ongoing at Temperance for over 40 years and a range of expressions result from differing elevations, aspects, soils, vine ages, and clonal selections. Our blocks of Pinot Noir, Pumphouse, and Upper Bench, are mature vines (20 years average) planted in weathered volcanic basalt at some of the higher elevations in the vineyard. Our vine holdings began at Temperance in 2021 and we have expanded these holdings (including chardonnay from 2023) each year because we believe this to be an Oregon 'grand cru'..
Reviews:
95 - Decanter: "This Pinot Noir comes from two blocks on the upper bench of Temperance Hill between 200-270m east-facing slopes on rocky volcanic soils, and this is Martin's second vintage getting from there. With spicy clove and green peppercorn aromatics that are buoyed by red and blue fruits. On the palate, you'll quickly notice hints of thyme, violets, and forest floor. It’s a medium to full-bodied wine that doesn't feel heavy on the palate. This wine carries the classic Eola-Amity spice. It's structured and upright."
95+ - Jeb Dunnuck: "A jeweled medium ruby red hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir Temperance Hill Vineyard comes from the Eola-Amity Hills and is very pretty and stony in the glass, with notes of crushed stones, redcurrants, orange peel, and cinnamon. It has more nervous energy, and the palate is medium-framed, with finely coiled tannins, even, mouthwatering freshness, and a long finish, but itʼs going to need time to flesh out. Drink 2026-2040."
Our Tasting Notes:
Nose presents a complementary perfume of red fruits, spice & earth—palate offers an elegant tension between fruit, acid & silken tannin structure—the finish lingers with persistent freshness & a delicate whisper of salinity—this is oregon 'grand cru' to enjoy now or cellar 10-15 years.
Paired Album
This album, similarly to Temperance Hill Pinot Noir, can be played over and over, yet always feel fresh. The album is sincerely tight, yet still finds ways of infusing breath and improvisation into it. Grant collaborated with some of the greatest artists of the time, and the album is truly a sum of it’s parts. Grant Green -Idle Moments, 1965 (1999 Remastered)
