2013 Appassionata Fortissimo Pinot Noir

Auslieferung im Frühjahr 2025!
Delivery in spring 2025!

Soft ruby rose in colour, crushed rose petals on the nose, rose buds, redcurrant, so softly spoken and yet with concentration and lift. At the tertiary stage now 10 years old, forest floor and black truffles, gently stretching out on the finish, beautiful. Winemaker Timothy Malone, owner Ernie Loosen, Bob Bertheau former winemaker for Ste Michelle for almost two decades, and long term friend and collaborator with Ernie Loosen, now consultant.
96/100 Jane Anson

(Oregon; 100% Pinot Noir on a volcanic clay terroir; 13.4% alcohol; tasted with Timothy Malone, the winemaker; matured for 20 months in French oak barriques, 25% of which were new; bottled 22-24 months after vinification and held for 10 years, guaranteeing provenance; just 130 cases made). Ernst Loosen’s Oregon Pinot Noir. From a tricky and challenging vintage, with a big dollop of rain before the harvest requiring rigorous sorting. Floral. Crushed petals, rose water, a little thyme and oregano, Bergamot too. Pink rose petals in picture-perfect pixilated detail! That parfumier’s rose petal scent too, very fine and pure – just more intense than one could ever find naturally. The petal character is reinforced by the black tea note and there’s a little sous bois too. There’s a very fresh fruit signature too. Raspberry, black raspberry, loganberry and red cherry, a hint of peach and apricot, cherry sweets (picking up that natural sweetness). White pepper. A hint of clove. This is aerial, energetic, lithe, crystalline and intensely limpid at least on the full and ample opening. Yet the grippy, grainy tannins build as this unfolds over the palate. Shimmering and gorgeous texturally, with plunge-pool clarity in the mid-palate. Still very much a vin de garde at this stage, this is a wine build for aging, yet it’s already very fluid on the extraordinary finish. I understand the logic of releasing this late now much more than I did for the 2012. I find this a big step up from the first release.
97/100 Colin Hay; The Drinks Business