Bergstrom Cumberland Reserve Pinot Noir 2017

For years I have thought that Bergstrom was one of the top producers of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.  And I am not the only one –both Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate have sung high praises of Josh Bergstrom and his eponymous winery.  Indeed, last year all of his single-vineyard Pinots scored above 92 points, with one of them landing a 95 and near the top of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list.

So this vintage, I am jumping at an opportunity.  The ’17 vintage – a great one in Oregon – of Cumberland Reserve has just been released and it is rockin’.  As the winery notes:

“From the outstanding 2016 vintage, the 100% estate farmed Cumberland Reserve Pinot Noir is potentially our best reserve blend in over a decade. It is dark burgundy in color with a youthful violet hue at the rim of the glass and could easily be mistaken for an old world effort. Its lovely aromatics are a sweet and savory mixture of dark fruits like blackberry, marionberry and blueberry, a dustiness resembling cigar tobacco, a rocky mineral quality, along with whole cluster inspired herbs and a rich meatiness. This wine is full bodied with robust dark fruit flavors, but also very balanced with vibrant juicy acidity and youthful wonderfully formed sweet tannins. This is a lively wine with suave texture which makes it a candidate for the cellar as well as being very enjoyable young. Decant if drinking in soon then drink over 10-15 years.”

And I’d take that last sentence seriously – personally I would lay these down for at least two years, and then drink over the next 15.  This is outstanding stuff, don’t miss it.