2015 ArborBrook Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Heritage Cuvee Chehalem Mountains 750 ml

The 2014 Willamette Pinot Noir Vintage Was Extraordinary — The 2015s Might Be Even Better

The 2014 Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs have already entered the history books as a “vintage of a lifetime.” That status was all but secured when Wine Spectator dropped a roaring 94- to 97-point rating on that year’s Pinot Noir gems from Oregon. We can remember last April’s “Willamette” Pinot Noir barrel auction like it was yesterday, a no-holds-barred buying frenzy in which the top 2014s were getting snapped up for $2,000/case.

Since the climate in Willamette Valley is well-known for its capriciousness, few in the Pacific Northwest imagined that Nature would treat Oregon’s winegrowers with a vintage that could eclipse 2014 anytime soon. Almost no one thought it would happen the very next year. And yet all signs are pointing to precisely that possibility.

The 2015 growing season is being hailed as a glorious vintage across the board. Vinous’ early reports described multiple producers calling it a “pinch me I’m dreaming’” type of year. Wine Spectator predicted that it “could be the state’s most extraordinary vintage,” reporting that “there’s no precedent for a vintage exactly like this in Oregon.”

If your Pinot Noir palate is geared towards dark color, juiciness, and black-fruit concentration, 2015 is not just a one-of-a-kind vintage for Oregon Pinot Noir, but a vintage that reminds us of Burgundy’s 1976 and 2003 harvests. These are wines of tremendous natural concentration — with natural sugars so high that finished wines generally exceed 14% in alcohol — yet somehow acids remain sufficiently firm to keep everything in balance. Here’s why.

The phenomenal 2015 growing season largely mirrored 2014, with one major exception — higher than normal temperatures in the spring allowed for early bloom and exceptional fruit-set, which led to an early harvest overall. Astonishingly, wineries were finished harvesting by October 4th, a full month ahead of 2014. Essentially, such steady and warm temperatures assured that no grape would be picked underripe, and even as sugars climbed, acids remained firm. For ArborBrook, this presented the picking opportunity of a lifetime — and at this early stage, a Pinot bargain-hunter’s dream.

The 2015 ArborBrook Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Heritage Cuvée Chehalem Mountains was drawn from a mix of 20% Pommard, 40% Dijon Clone 115, and 40% Dijon Clone 777. 100% estate-grown. Vivid ruby to the rim. Lavish aromas of raspberry, rose petals, and dazzling baking-spice notes, framed by cedar and sweet spice. The attack is rich, lush, and multi-layered, filled with a juicy mix of black cherry, black raspberry, and dusty plum, finishing with superb Chehalem Mountains cut and backbone.

We’re one of the first to market with this wine. Our advice? Get in now before the ratings start pouring in from Parker and company, driving prices for the Willamette Valley 2015s into the stratosphere. The last thing you want to do is find yourself scrambling to check your bank account once the ship has already sailed.

$30 on release. $24.99 only from WineAccess for however long 900 bottles last. Pinot Noir collectors won’t sleep on this one.