Bellande Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2022

Bellande is a collaborative project between star winemaker Brianne Day and distributor Bowler Wines. Day is known for her natural winemaking style and her use of underdog grapes (though she also makes great examples of more "traditional" grapes such as chardonnay and pinot noir). This bottle reflects her style. The grapes are sourced from organically farmed vineyards in the Willamette Valley, with the majority grown at the Finnigan Hill Vineyard - a higher elevation site in the Chehalem Mountains AVA. The rest of the fruit comes from Claygate Vineyard in Ribbon Ridge AVA, Johan Vineyard in Van Duzer Corridor AVA, as well as Roshni and Cassin Vineyards in McMinnville AVA. The juice is fermented with native yeasts and matured in neutral French oak before bottling. Encounter a bright, open nose of fresh and candied red fruits with pleasant undertones of earth and ore. Then lean into a higher-acid palate that's vibrant and very approachable, with pure red fruits (cranberry, Morello cherry, red currant) hemmed in by flavors of gravel and gentle tannins that grip tight and release. Organically grown.