The beloved 2008 vintage in the general Willamette Valley was also a hit for the all female-ran operation of Airlie Winery. Producing fruit with precision ripeness in 2008, winemaker Elizabeth Clark was able to work with premium fruit right off the bat, pulling from their Dunn Forest estate vineyard and neighboring vineyard, BeckenRidge. Aged for 10 months in new French oak, then 1o of the 69 barrels make the cut into the 2008 Vintner’s Blend, the remaining barrels went into the 2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. The oak serves as a base layer to the aromas with slight notes of vanilla, but the ripe red raspberries, tobacco and earth rise as the dominant features. The acid is balanced with the core of the palate being the ripe fruit, finishing with rounded and tame tannins.
