St Innocent Cuvee Village Pinot Noir 2022

This vibrant and beautifully balanced red wine originates from the United States, within the prestigious Willamette Valley AVA of Oregon. St. Innocent was founded in 1988 by winemaker Mark Vlossak, who spent decades cementing the estate's reputation as a benchmark producer of terroir-driven Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Today, the winery operates under a winemaking philosophy that values restraint, balance, and site transparency. The "Cuvée Village" bottling is intentionally crafted as a regional masterclass, blending fruit from select, sustainably farmed estate parcels and partner vineyards to deliver an authentic, approachable expression of the valley’s unique volcanic and sedimentary soils.

Wine Description

The 2022 St. Innocent Cuvée Village Pinot Noir presents a bright, translucent ruby appearance in the glass. Its sensory profile is high-toned, elegant, and classic, opening with an expressive bouquet of ripe red cherries, wild strawberries, and redcurrants, layered with complex undertones of black tea, forest floor, dried chanterelle mushrooms, and a touch of sweet baking spice. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied and fluid, showcasing a juicy core of bright red fruits. It is characterized by its outstanding, cool-climate freshness and a vibrant backbone of acidity that keeps the palate lively and precise. The mouthfeel is silkier and more rounded than many of the single-vineyard bottlings, supported by fine-grained, supple tannins that glide into a long, clean, and savory finish detailed by lingering notes of earth and spice.

This 100% Pinot Noir reached a well-balanced alcohol content (ABV) of 13.5%. Following a meticulous manual harvest, the grapes were destemmed and fermented in small, temperature-controlled open-top fermenters using native yeasts. To build textural depth and harmonize the structure without overwhelming the delicate Pinot Noir aromatics, the wine was matured for several months in French oak barrels (utilizing a very low percentage of new wood). Reflecting Mark Vlossak's core principles, the fruit is sourced from certified sustainable vineyards that prioritize natural soil health and biodiversity.