Great Oregon Wine Co. Rascal Pinot Noir 2020
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The wine has a brilliant ruby red color with deeper hues of indigo. It is intense and complex on the nose which is dominated by fruity aromas of black cherries, blueberries and plums, combined with subtle savory notes of tobacco, sweet basil and vanilla. On the palate this wine is soft, fresh and round with a finish that hints of spice and brown sugar.
The Great Oregon Wine Company was established out of a love for fine wine and an innate appreciation for the farm-to-table culture and flavors of Oregon. Every bottle of wine crafted honors what it means to be a true Pacific Northwesterner and delivers its own belief that wine should be enjoyed as it was meant to be – celebrating life with friends and family around a bountiful table.
Each of the wines are tested by the Clean Label Project to ensure the lowest levels of environmental and industrial contaminants and toxins such as heavy metals. This starts in the vineyards and the lifelong friends and farmers chosen to partner with and, also controlled in the cellar and on the bottling line with great care. As innovators in the Oregon wine industry, this is the only winery to be certified pesticide-free by the federal government and were among the first commercial vineyards in Oregon to remove glyphosate from their wines.
These world-class wines are made under the watchful eye of Master Sommelier Brett Zimmerman in small, 1.5-ton batches that allow them to put more care and attention into each bottle.
Every bottle sold allows The Great Oregon Wine Company to give back to the community through a broad range of charitable causes including The Humane Society of the United States, the Wetlands Conservancy and the Life Time Foundation.
The expansion of viable Chilean wine regions in recent decades has revealed several suitable appellations (In Chile the term is denominacion de origen, or DO) for Pinot Noir. This finicky grape requires a cool climate along with good air flow to minimize disease pressure; Chile’s unique geography delivers both in a number of spots. Here’s a quick look at the most notable DO’s, moving from north to south.
In the Coquimbo region, both the Elqui and Limarí Valleys enjoy lots of sunlight throughout the year, which promotes consistent ripening. Of equal importance, their proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the Humboldt Current that flows just offshore provides the necessary cooling influence that yields good balancing acidity.
Due west of the country’s capital, Santiago, are the Casablanca and San Antonio Valleys. The former runs east-west and therefore sees cool, foggy conditions many mornings. The latter runs north-south but is close enough to the ocean to benefit from cool breezes. Very promising Chilean Pinot Noirs can be found from both DO’s.
Chile’s southern region includes two more Pinot-friendly appellations, Bio-Bio and Malleco. These and the other DO’s mentioned above have seen a growing number of producers delivering crisp, fresh versions. Pinot Noir from Chile typically offers the varietal’s trademark elegance and fine drinkability, complete with ripe red fruit, earthy tones and food-friendly acidity. Try Chilean Pinot Noir wines from producers like Viña Leyda, Santa Carolina, Casas del Bosque and Hacienda Araucano.