2002 together with 1999 are the “tall poppies” of Oregon vintages to date, with our nod going to the ‘02s. A textbook growing year rolled into an almost perfect harvest whereby there was little weather pressure on winemakers, and they could pick when they felt it was perfect. The result is a seamless combination of both power and grace in the wines.

2002 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The wine is stunning, a dark purple-red. Rich aromatics of cherry intertwine with graham and resin. It's a massive dark red fruit attack with hints of fresh currant, rose petal, cranberry, crimson spice, passion fruit and creme brule. Exhibiting lovely movement on the palate, the wine is luscious, balanced, long and peristent. We strive for power and grace; in this wine it's delivered. 656 cases were produced from four vineyards: Shea, Gemini, Temperance Hill and Anderson Family. The grapes were fermented in small lots using wild yeast in open-top stainless steel tanks. Limited pre-ferment maceration was followed by minimal, but targeted temperature and punchdown intervention. The wine was 100% French barrel aged (18% new, 82% one year or older) for 18 months and then racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered in April 2004. This wine, with its acid balance and fine-grain tannin, is built to age. Well-cellared, we anticipate additional complexity during its first 7 years and are hopeful of a 10- to 20-year drinking horizon. $36. Sold out.

Antoinette 2002 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Rich candied cherry and ripe raspberry lead and then pack balsamic, soy, mineral, earth, mushroom and decaying wood deep into the senses. Flavors of grilled steak, spice and cherry cheesecake in graham are beautifully supported by fresh acidity and very fine grain tannin on the palate. The nature of the wine is concentrated, long, clean and lively resulting in the equation: Balanced Power + Grace = Finesse. Fifty cases were produced from the two best barrels selected from a single fermentation lot of Temperance Hill’s 23-year-old front block east. The wine was barrel aged for 18 months in one once-filled French oak barrel and one three-year-old French oak barrel, and racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered in April 2004. Antoinette was built to age. Well cellared, it’s structured to deliver more down the line, anticipating additional complexity during its first 10 years and a potential 12- to 20-year drinking horizon. $65. Sold out.

Anderson Family 2002 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
A dark, serious, complex red. Flowers, mocha and the mineral sea air of a coastal forest intermix on the nose. The palate is brooding, structured and demanding of attention, led by cherry, mango, toffee and peat. More linear with good acidity, the wine advocates red fruits and damp earth over its considerable length, ending on a mild licorice note. Anderson Family Vineyard’s south block is the sole vineyard utilized in the making of this wine, and the two best barrels selected from a single fermentation lot resulted in these 44 cases. The wine was barrel aged for 18 months in one once-filled French oak barrel and one twice-filled French oak barrel, and then racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered in April 2004. Anderson Family was the most structured JKC Pinot of 2002, absolutely designed to age. Complex and reserved, it’s built like bedrock and will give up its beauty over time. You should anticipate additional complexity during its first 10 years and a potential 12- to 20-year drinking horizon. $65. Sold out.

Shea Vineyard 2002 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Marilyn Monroe. All the right stuffing in all the right places. This wine is a dark, ripe, inviting red. The nose is warm and weighty with Bing cherry, evergreen, honey graham, roasted meat, chocolate, hazelnut and coffee. Earthy flavors of dried orange peel and gobs of cherry, wrapping cherry, lead a dark attack, striking amazement on the mid and base notes of your palate. Immensely weighty with fine tannins and a glycerol-velvet mouthfeel. This wine has it all. It’s a cloak of cherry . . . begging you to fall into the folds. Shea Vineyard is the sole vineyard utilized in the making of this wine, and the three best barrels were selected from a single fermentation lot. The wine was barrel aged for 18 months in two once-filled French oak barrels and one three-year-old French oak barrel, and then racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered in April 2004. 2002 Shea is decadent and built to age. Well cellared, you should anticipate additional complexity during its first 7 years and a potential 10- to 15-year drinking horizon. $65. Sold out.

Provocateur 2002 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
What it would be like to bite full mouth into a perfectly ripened cherry . . . if it were the size of a peach. This is brooding red with a nose of ginger spice, cola bottle-cap candy and earth. Sleeping or not, your mouth wakes to an arsenal of juicy red fruits, raspberry, cola, damp forest and bitter-sweet chocolate. Good liveliness and slightly grippy tannins hold you hostage and eventually release you to the undisguised beauty of high amplitude Pinot noir. Provocateurs don't always follow the narrow path. Should you? Neither did owner/winemaker Jim Prosser's grandfather, J.K. Prosser, whose face is on the bottle. 459 cases. $18. Sold out.

Glass 2002 Willamette Valley White Pinot Noir
Bring on the heat…here's summer in a glass. Pale apricot in color, the wine reveals a wafting floral, marshmallow, and spiced peach nose. Ripe pear and lemon drop float above a fresh, almost tart, structure. Bottled with a slight spritz, the wine goes long, high, and clean on the palate, ending on a distinct earthy minerality. The wine is 100% Pinot noir - 50% whole cluster pressed and 50% immediately drained to barrel for minimal color set - using long, slow, low-temperature, wild-yeast, barrel fermentations to promote vineyard characters and preserve fleeting fruit esters. 150 cases. $17. Sold out.