89 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Aged for ten months in a combination of French and Hungarian oak, this Pinot Noir boasts muscular tannins to accompany flavors of rich cherry jam, juniper berries and sage. A powerful cedar bark scent joins the aromas of boysenberries and blackcap raspberries.
92 Points - Paul Gregutt
This is loaded with blueberries, blackberries and currant fruit, underscored with tangy citrus. There are lighter veins of espresso, toasted walnuts and clean earth, with tongue-scraping acids. The overall balance is on point despite the very recent bottling, and the compact flavors suggest that there will be a further evolution over the next decade or longer.
92 Points - Tasting Panel
Not long after this wine escapes its screcapped bottle, it opens to reveal lovely aromas and flavors of red cherry and strawberry with nicely balanced piece notes and even some savory undertones that contribute notable complexity. Light in body by comparison to Pinots from almost anwyere these days, it delivers much more flavor impact than one would predict based on its palate weight. Classy in profile and character, it's especially impressive for the price.
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
The 2021 Torii Mor Willamette Valley Pinot Noir has rich aromas, sweet and complex, with ripe blueberries and blackberries, complex earth-oak notes, and framed by perfumes of wildflowers and roses.
The flavors are forward and rich, with a good balance of acidity and sweetness, leading to rich and concentrated fresh blue-black fruits, like blueberries and blackberries, enhanced by notes of cooking and oak spices and a touch of earth complexity.
The mouthfeel is rich, complex, and elegant. The finish is rich, long, and sweet, with the complexity of fruit, juicy tannins, and savory earth notes.
Vineyard Notes
The grapes that comprise Torii Mor’s Willamette Valley Pinot Noir come from eight vineyards: Alloro, Hawks View, La Colina, La Dolce Vita, Nysa, Olson, Varga, Kraemer.
Production Notes
The 2021 growing season was hot and dry, with wide swings in weather conditions. An abnormally cold period at the end of May and a relatively cool wet period around bloom resulted in lower yields. The heat in the summer included a 5-day stretch that averaged 103F highs and a 92-day span with only .02 inches of rain. Through the dry vintage emerged fruit with very little disease pressure, full ripeness, and deep concentration while retaining good acidity. All these factors culminated to produce exceptionally balanced wines exhibiting flavors of intense dark fruit, earthiness, and minerality paired with floral and red fruit aromatics.
Winemaker Notes
Harvested from September 13 to October 29th, the Willamette Valley Pinot noir grapes were hand at 23.2 to 25.8 Brix (most mid 24), sorted, fermented without whole clusters for 12 to 26 days, with 3 punch down a day, aged for 10 months in mostly French oak with some Hungarian oak The barrels were racked and in August following Malo-Lactic fermentation when the blend was put together, then stored in tanks until bottling.
Production
3,435 cases produced.
