I’ll let the winery explain how special this one is:
Is 2023 the best vintage in Patricia Green Cellar’s history?: That’s up for debate, but certainly along with 2016 and 2005 it is in a very exclusive tier of truly great vintages. Excellent growing conditions during the summer and another early harvest with mild to moderate weather during picking. The wines across the board are sumptuous, rich, well-balanced and top-notch examples of each bottling we do. We actually had to sacrifice single-vineyard barrels for the greater good to even make ANY 2023 Reserve let alone the 3,400 cases we did which is in keeping with what we made in 2022. Instead of making a Coulee Vineyard Pinot Noir (as we did in 2022) all the barrels went to the for the greater good to even make ANY 2023 Reserve let alone the 3,400 cases we did which is in keeping with what we made in 2022. Instead of making a Coulee Vineyard Pinot Noir (as we did in 2022) all the barrels went to the Reserve and the same for the Shafer Vineyard barrels (we made an insanely popular bottling in 2021 but did not receive the fruit in 2022). The 2023 Reserve is simply loaded with an even higher level of upper echelon barrels than it normally is and it completely shows in this bottling. So, a great vintage makes this one of, if not the single best, bottlings of Reserve we have ever produced.
Wine Making and Notes:
This bottling comes from terrific sources. The Reserve has always been a wine that looked to excellent and renowned vineyards for its make-up. The 2023 has an excellent and a completely unique pedigree for a wine at its pricing. All of the wines in this bottling are from vineyards (8 of them!) from which we make or have made at least one single-vineyard Pinot Noir. This wine carries the breadth of the winery in other ways as well. From completely destemmed grapes to 100% whole cluster fermentations, all winemaking stylistic decisions are represented within this bottling. The level of vineyards in this wine has always been something else and this year that facet is concentrated to an incredible degree. The 8 vineyards that make up this bottling would all be most winery’s best vineyard. We have included nearly 20 barrels sourced from 50 year-old vines and about a third comes from our Estate Vineyard which assuredly and easily had its single best year of production in its 40-year history. The 2023 Reserve Pinot Noir is nothing BUT a pedigree monster! As noted earlier, the 2023 vintage is simply a great vintage. Possibly the greatest in the 24-vintage history of the winery. Wines are particularly richly fruited, intense, deep and delicious at early ages in this vintage. Perfect for a bottling that values consumption at a youthful age even if it possesses unusual aging capacity for an Oregon Pinot Noir at this price.
Tasting Note:
This is a very intense wine all the way around. The color is dark ruby and has a particular gleam to it that makes is seem like it shines. This is a darker, deeper and denser version than the very lovely and red-fruited 2022. Pomegranate, Chinese Five Spice, cassis and a sweet earthen quality form the complex aromatics. The palate responds equally with dense, sweet blackberries, licorice, red plums and red spices that are well-integrated and float on a finish of well-defined tannins. In short, this wine is absurdly delicious to be an entry level Pinot Noir.
Sound good?
