2014 Roots Winery Klee Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 750 ml

2014 Yamhill-Carlton: “We Went Long. Way Loooong”

Any winegrower who’s worth his salt will tell you that his wines are made in the vineyard, not in the cellar. But the most astute growers will tell you something even more fascinating: Based on the flavor profile of grapes plucked and tasted right off the sorting table, they can extrapolate the makeup of the finished wine.

In our 30 years on the wine trail, we’ve never encountered as many winegrowers describing in detail “deep, dark, juicy” Pinot Noirs — before those wines had even begun to ferment! — as we did in the Willamette Valley during Wine Spectator’s 94- to 97-point harvest of 2014.

None of the valley’s 17 AVAs is home to as many superstar estates as Yamhill-Carlton. As recounted by the likes of Bernard Lacroute at WillaKenzie, Lynn Penner-Ash, Anthony King at Lemelson, Brian O’Donnell at Belle Pente, Chris Berg at Roots, Laurent Montalieu at Soléna Cellars and Brian Marcy at Big Table Farm, the growing season of 2014 provided a near-perfect script for Oregon Pinot Noir, making for succulent small-berry clusters absolutely loaded with sugar.

According to Oregon’s superstar Pinot Noir makers, here’s why.

The salient features of the 2014 growing season were a large, uniform fruit set and an unprecedented number of days (25) where high temperatures topped 90 degrees. Still, despite the steady heat, there was never a significant risk of blistering or burning, as there wasn’t a single day where temperatures topped 100 degrees. At Roots, where Chris Berg works with specific blocks off a handful of Yamhill-Carlton vineyards, the call to harvest was made in mid-September, nearly two weeks earlier than in 2013. Plucked and tasted right off the sorting table, the clusters were perfectly uniform, strewn with super-sweet, mid-sized berries. Skins were fairly thin. There was no sign of shrivel. Most importantly, when we bit down on seeds, there was almost no sense of dryness. Tannins were ripe and fresh.

While Berg’s terrific single-vineyard 2014s have yet to be offered (we’re working our magic, trying to eke out a small allocation of the lavish $60/bottle “Racine”), the 2014 Roots Pinot Noir “Klee” was released a month ago. Chris’s first call went to WineAccess. A couple days later, two sample bottles arrived at HQ. We waited two days before popping a cork. Then we went long. Way loooong.

Drawn from Berg’s Roots Estate, Saffron Fields, 49 Rows, and Leroy vineyards, from vines first planted as far back as 1971. True to the flavor profile of the grapes on the sorting table, the 2014 Roots “Klee” is dark ruby in color, infused with plush aromas of black raspberry, violets, and sweet spice. Rich, dense, and almost plump on the attack, filled with red- and black-fruit preserves, finishing with surprising vibrancy and cut given the terrific opulence of the vintage.

91 points from Wine Spectator. At $17/bottle, this is a STEAL. Buy it by the case. Serve at 58 degrees throughout the spring and summer. This is a beauty.