2018 Gran Moraine Yamhill Carlton Pinot Noir

Usually we here at Waterford start making jokes just before Thanksgiving to the tune of:

“Get your cellar defender Pinot Noirs ready, because Tday is coming and with it – your in-laws. And they are going to drink. And you need to drink. So we’ve got the perfect thing! A wine that’s priced for the guzzlers, but drinks beautifully for the tasters…”

Unfortunately, we’re guessing that many of you, like most of us, are actually not going to have the in-laws over, and its going to be a small family gathering. That’s sad, but it also gives you a perfectly good reason to up your imbibing game – you don’t have to share. So why not shoot for the moon and bring up some holiday cheer? And we’ve got just the thing!

In 2012 a man named Jess Jackson took notice of Willamette Valley, Oregon’s ability to prize-winning Pinot Noir. You probably know his name – he’s built a wine empire including one of the most consumed domestic wines, La Crema Chardonnay. He is not a man who takes half-measures. When he buys or builds a winery, he does it to the maximum of perfection with the idea of adding another world-class wine to his stable. Hence his founding of the pristine of Gran Moraine in Yamhill Carlton in Willamette Valley. No expense was spared in the vineyards, winery, or winemaking team, and with the 2018 vintage, the results are outstanding:

The nose opens with a gracious note of raspberry coulis, Pinot-spice of vanilla, cardamom and cranberry, with touches of freshly buttered bread. This dark-fruited beauty offers plenty of richness across the palate, but we highly recommend using a Burgundy or Oregon Pinot Noir glass to draw out its true character. The tannins are soft and smooth, lending a generosity to the finish and palate weight. And it’s at the peak of its youthful fruit expression. It’s ready to go and delicious now.

But, best of all, even though this a spare-no-expensive Pinot on the winemaking side, we got it at an amazing wallet-friendly price on the consumption side. Drink it by yourself, with your significant other, or, if the guzzlers do raid your cellar, drink it with them, too. A perfect wine for Thanksgiving!