2014 Trousse-Chemise Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard 750 ml

Cash Calls in Oregon: Anne Sery’s “Flamboyant” Hyland Vineyard Pinot Noir

The first “Willamette: The Pinot Noir Barrel Auction” on April 2nd was a tremendous success. At the historic event at The Allison Inn & Spa, 66 wineries sold lots of Pinot Noirs from Wine Spectator’s 94- to 97-point 2014 vintage for upwards of $1,000 per case. The tasting prior to the auction showcased about 70 small-production 2014s, including two from Laurent Montalieu’s superb Hyland Vineyard.

Enologist Anne Sery-Martindale crafted the most stunning Pinot Noirs of her career in 2014. The most flamboyant was her Trousse-Chemise “Hyland Vineyard,” a Pinot Noir infused with Russian River concentration yet braced with Burgundian cut. $50/bottle on release. Just $19.99 this morning, as bankers get cold feet in Oregon, despite the record-breaking vintages.

When enologist Anne Sery-Martindale decided to launch Trousse-Chemise a little over two years ago, her timing couldn’t have been better. The 2012 vintage was extraordinary in Oregon. That hot, dry summer made for small-cluster Pinot Noir of intense concentration. Given how quickly Anne’s 2012s sold, most inexperienced winemakers wouldn’t have resisted temptation and would have increased production in 2013. Not the cautious Sery-Martindale. Again, she produced 1,000 cases in 2013 — all of which disappeared on Release Day.

Then came the magical growing season of 2014, recently rated 94-97 points by Wine Spectator. After a warm, dry spring, the vines got off to a fast start. The set was perfect. Focusing on three of the top vineyards in Willamette Valley — ArborBrook, Laurent Montalieu’s Hyland Vineyard, and Guadalupe in Yamhill-Carlton — Sery-Martindale began walking rows each Monday morning. By mid-August, it was clear that 2014 not only had the potential to outpoint 2012, but also that yields would be sufficiently high that even Montalieu would have a few tons of Hyland Pinot Noir to sell.

Then Anne did what so many young vintners have done before: She blinked. Before she knew it, she’d locked into each property, TRIPLING her commitments in a few days’ time.

It’s hard to argue with Sery-Martindale’s decision at Hyland. Hyland Vineyard is set in the Coast Range foothills, just southwest of the town of McMinnville. The soils are a poor mix of volcanic Jory and Nekia. First planted in the early 1970s, the vineyard is perched at 600-800 feet in elevation on a perfectly exposed south-sloping bench. At 40 years of age, roots have been trained to burrow meters into the substrata, seeking out water reserves even in the hottest, driest summers. In many respects, if ever a growing season was designed for Hyland Vineyard, it was the Spectator’s record-breaking harvest of 2014.

The 2014 Trousse-Chemise Hyland Vineyard is a knockout — Sery-Martindale’s most flamboyant Pinot Noir to date. Dark ruby, infused with piercing aromas of black raspberry and black cherry, braced by a touch of new-wood vanilla. Rich, plush, and pliant on entry, filled with black cherry jam, finishing with terrific tension and persistence. Drink now-2022.

$50/bottle on release. 60% off this morning on WineAccess for a top-notch Pinot Noir from Wine Spectator’s highest-rated Oregon Pinot Noir vintage EVER!