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St. Innocent Pinot Noir Zenith Vineyard 2011 750ml

size
750ml
country
United States
region
Oregon
appellation
Willamette Valley
subappellation
Eola-Amity Hills District
WA
91
VM
91
Additional vintages
WA
91
Rated 91 by Wine Advocate
Dried cherry and cranberry tinged with ginger, white pepper, clove and resin make for a penetrating and pungent nose to the St. Innocent 2011 Pinot Noir Zenith Vineyard. The tartness of its red berries and tactile impingement of its spicy elements make for a similarly audacious palate presentation, which an emerging aura of holly berry distillate only encourages. The gripping, invigorating finish retains a welcome measure of refreshing primary juiciness; and unlike a good many other St. Innocent (or Zenith Estate) Pinots, this seems simply to slough-off its (ca. 30%) share of new oak. I suspect it will merit attention through at least 2020. ... More details
Image of bottle
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St. Innocent Pinot Noir Zenith Vineyard 2011 750ml

SKU 743635
Out of Stock
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More Details
Winery St. Innocent
barrel

Vintage: 2011

The year 2011 was an interesting year for many northern and central European countries, as the weather was more than unpredictable in the spring and summer. However, in most countries, the climatic conditions thankfully settled down in the late summer and fall. The result of this slightly difficult year of weather in France was a set of surprisingly small yields, but overall, these yields were of a higher quality than those harvested in certain previous years. A fantastic set of wines was also made in Italy and Spain, and the Rioja wines - when released - are set to be very good indeed. Austria also had superb year in 2011, with almost fifty percent more grapes being grown and used for their distinctive Gruner Veltliner wines than in the year before. Possibly the European country which had the finest 2011, though, was Portugal, with wineries in the Douro region claiming this year to be one of the best in decades for the production of Port wine, and the bright, young Vinho Verdes wines. In the New World, the Pacific Northwest saw some of the best weather of 2011, and Washington State and Oregon reportedly had a highly successful year, especially for the cultivation of high quality red wine grapes. Chile and Argentina had a relatively cool year, which certainly helped retain the character of many of their key grape varietals, and should make for some exciting drinking. South Africa had especially good weather for their white wine grape varietals, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and many South African wineries are reporting 2011 as one of their best years in recent memory.
green grapes

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir translates as 'black pine' in French, and is named as such due to the extremely inky color of the fruits, which hang in bunches the shape of a pine cone. Wineries often struggle with Pinot Noir vines, as more than most red wine grape varietals, they fail in hot temperatures and are rather susceptible to various diseases which can be disastrous when hoping for a late harvest. Thanks to new technologies and methods for avoiding such problems, however, the Pinot Noir grape varietal has spread across the world to almost every major wine producing country. Why? Quite simply because this is considered to be one of the finest grape varietals one can cultivate, due to the fact that it can be used to produce a wide range of excellent wines full of interesting, fresh and fascinating flavors Their thin skins result in a fairly light-bodied wine, and the juices carry beautiful notes of summer fruits, currants and berries, and many, many more.
barrel

Region: Oregon

The Oregon wine industry is continuing to go from strength to strength, with many of their Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir wines winning important international awards in recent years. Oregon has also become renowned as an important region for the production of organic and biodynamic wines, demonstrating the fact that the wineries which are dotted across the diverse regions of the state are keen to experiment with their methods and techniques. A wide range of grape varietals flourish in Oregon, including an impressive array of Old World classic grapes alongside American hybrid varietals. This, coupled with the cooler climate and the mix of traditional and excitingly modern wine production methods makes Oregon a fascinating region for wine lovers, particularly those looking for something unique and utterly delicious.
fields

Country: United States

The first European settlers to consider growing grapevines in the United States must have been delighted when they discovered the now famous wine regions within California, Oregon and elsewhere. Not even in the Old World are there such fertile valleys, made ideal for vine cultivation by the blazing sunshine, long, hot summers and oceanic breezes. As such, it comes as little surprise that today more than eighty-nine percent of United States wines are grown in the valleys and on the mountainsides of California, where arguably some of the finest produce in the world is found. However, American wine does not begin and end with California, and due to the vast size of the country and the incredible range of terrains and climates found within the United States, there is probably no other country on earth which produces such a massive diversity of wines. From ice wines in the northern states, to sparkling wines, aromatized wines, fortified wines, reds, whites, rosés and more, the United States has endless surprises in store for lovers of New World wines.
bottle and glass

Appellation: Willamette Valley

The beautiful wine region of Willamette Valley is located in Oregon, one of the main wine producing states of the USA. As in much of Oregon, Willamette Valley benefits enormously from the long, hot summers the state enjoys, and the mineral rich soils which typify the wine regions found there. Willamette Valley has built up a powerful reputation over the past few decades as one of the New World's leading producers of high quality, flavorful and characterful Pinot Noir wines, as the grapes of the Pinot Noir vine thrive particularly well in the region's climatic conditions. Willamette Valley is a fascinating wine region, and is a fine representative for the state of Oregon. Innovative techniques and wine making methods are fairly commonplace there, and the overall produce of the region seems to get better each year.