2023 Benmar ‘Into the Fog’ Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

DEC96 Dark Bing cherry and raspberry fruits, with notes of deep forest underbrush, conifer, rose petals, and sweet loamy earth. Medium to full-bodied, featuring apple-skin tannins and crunchy pomegranate nuances, smoky clove, allspice, star anise, and pressed violets. Expressive, with a balanced tension and purity of flavours – indeed a remarkable wine for only its second vintage by winemaker Greg Bybee. Named after his children, Bennett and Marecca, his wife, Jen, captured the front-label image. The grapes are sourced from an organically farmed vineyard near the NYSA Vineyard in Dundee Hills and Cattrall Vineyard in Eola-Amity Hills. They are fully de-stemmed, followed by a 72-hour cold soak with pump-overs and punch-downs, pressed and settled for eight days before being transferred to the barrel. The wine undergoes a 10-month élevage, followed by barrel-to-barrel racking for an additional six months of élevage.

A Willamette Valley blend mostly from the Dundee Hills (~85%), from a vineyard in front of the NYSA vineyard. Certified Organic & Demeter Certified Bio-dynamic vineyard. The balance is from a vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon’s first certified organic vineyard, own rooted Wädenswil planted in 1986.