Aberrant Cellars Carpe Noctem Pinot Noir 2011
-
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The ten barrels of Aberrant Cellars 2011 Pinot Noir Carpe Noctum received half new wood (though that’s in no way obvious) and was bottled at 16 months. Nearly half of it comes from Eide’s favored block of Dijon Clone 828 in the nosebleed bleachers of Zena Crown (adjacent to Temperance Hill), with the rest hailing from Willakia and Hawks View. Deeply ripe but ultimately infectiously juicy cherry and plum are garlanded with diverse flowers and underlain with mouthwatering roasted red meat juiciness and marrowy richness. The piquancy of fruit pits and invigorating crunch of berry seeds are surpassed in efficacy by a saliva-liberating streak of salinity allied to alkalinity and stoniness, as well as a lentil sprout-like burst of nutty and positively vegetal flavor, all of which combine for a finish of dazzling interactive complexity and exhilarating energy that compels you to take the next sip. “I want this wine to be like a wild mustang that you can never tame,” exclaims Eide. I’d plan on trying to mount it for at least the next decade.
Home of some of the planet’s most amazingly elegant and expressive Pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is a pastoral, mixed landscape of green, bucolic rolling hills, dramatic forestlands and small, independent, friendly wine growers. As a leader in environmental stewardship, the valley has some of the nation’s most protective land use policies, with two-thirds of its vineyards farmed sustainably and over half, organically. While the valley claims a cool, continental climate, and is heavily influenced by the cold, moist winds of the Pacific Ocean, its warm and dry summers allow for the steady, even ripening of Pinot noir.
The potential of Willamette Valley Pinot noir continues to attract the investment of serious growers and winemakers both locally and from abroad, as naturally the finished wines bring accolades from professionals and enthusiasts. With a range of styles from delicate dried cherry, raspberry and hibiscus to stronger notes of truffle, mocha, plum and spice, a fine Willamette Valley Pinot noir is a perfect expression of both character and grace.