Alcohol: 13.5%
Grape(s): Pinot Noir
Localization: Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Tasting Notes: Dark cherry and blackberry aromas with black pepper, cinnamon/clove spices and cedar smoke. The mouth begins with a big hit of smoky spice and black raspberry with notes of roasted chilies and dried plums. The finish has loads of substantial skin tannins with plenty of juicy acidity that elevates the pallet, maintaining ample ripe flavors long into the finish. This is an especially intense Temperance Hill, reflecting the small berries and full ripeness achieved in 2018. This wine will stand up to blackened fish and grilled ribs with a smoky barbeque sauce without a problem. Its remarkably concentrated and will drink beautifully well past a dozen years.
94 points Vinous: Limpid ruby-red. Mineral-tinged black raspberry, cherry cola, pungent flowers and exotic spices on the highly perfumed nose. Palate-caressing red and dark berry, spicecake and candied rose flavors show superb clarity, underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Concentrated but distinctly lithe in character, with a strikingly long, focused finish that features sneaky tannins and reverberating floral and spice notes.
Food Pairing: Salmon, lamb chops, pork tenderloin, and simply prepared grilled foods mach well with this spicy, dark-red fruited, pure expression of Pinot Noir with its slightly smoky nuances.
The Domain: St. Innocent Winery was founded in May 1988 by Mark Vlossak, the current winemaker and president, and eight investors. Ten tons of grapes were crushed the first fall, producing 396 cases of still and 176 cases of sparkling wine. Production increased to our full capacity of 6800 cases in 2004. The winery is located in Salem, Oregon, at the southeast corner of the Eola Hills, in the mid-Willamette valley.
St. Innocent produces small lot, handmade wines: seven single vineyard Pinot noirs and a blended Pinot noir called the Villages Cuvée, two Chardonnay from Dijon clone plantings, two Pinot gris, and a Pinot blanc.
The philosophy behind the winemaking at St Innocent is that the function of wine is to complement and extend the pleasure of a meal. The characteristics of a wine should enhance different food and flavor combinations - this interaction amplifies the pleasure of a meal. To this end, St. Innocent wines tend toward higher acid levels, and more diverse and balanced flavors.
