"It is heartening to see that Mark Vlossak,
St.-Innocent’s winemaker and co-owner,
has maintained reasonable prices even
after having received considerable praise
for his wines over the years."
Oregon
Pinot noir collectors know St Innocent's wines
are excellent values, none more so than the
Villages Cuvee, produced annually in small
amounts and mostly marketed in Oregon.
This year's Villages
Cuvee is made
from fruit sourced at:
-Shea Vineyard's terraced
section, consisting of younger vines on a steep
south facing slope. The Shea fruit forms the
heart of the wine, and provides weight, and
a wild and lush character to the wine.
- Temperance Hill Vineyard's east
facing section, 6-8 year old vines provide
fruit that adds qualities of earth and forest.
- Vitae Springs Vineyard's fruit
comes from a cooler site thatn the two above,
and provides nice high tones, aromatics, fresh
cherry and fresh garden herb scents and flavors.
Nose: Lots
and lots of red fruit scents like red raspberry,
tart red cherry, red currant, and red plum.
HInts of soft toast, blackberry, vanilla, and
smoke.
Flavors: Sweet,
juicy red cherry is the initial impression,
refreshing and balanced. As the wine opens
in the mouth, the midpalate finds intense,
bold, darker fruit and barrel toast notes-
these darker tones add weight and depth to
the otherwise juicy, fruity wine.
Finish: The
tannins are silky, present in perfect balance,
seamless and lushly textured. One is left with
a sense of balanced, juicy, refreshing Pinot
noir.
As the wine opens and
breathes with time (decanting is a great idea
for this wine), more impressions of different
fruits and other flavors appear, ranging from
tart pie cherry through blackberry, black currant,
and hints of smoky, toasty oak.
Food Pairings
As Amy, Avalon's newest team member says, "Acidity
is the friend of food", and she immediately
suggested salmon as an ideal food to pair with
this wine. The acidity of this juicy wine cuts
through the luscious fat flavors of the fish.
She suggests grilling or pan searing the salmon.
An alternative to salmon could be grilled pork,
cooked simply.
Oregon
Pinot noir collectors know St Innocent's wines
are excellent values, none more so than the
Villages Cuvee, produced annually in small
amounts and mostly marketed in Oregon.
