Perched upon a hillside amidst rolling rows of vines facing white-capped mountain tops, Anne Amie Vineyards is the quintessence of the Oregon wine country. The tasting room—appointed with reclaimed wood-beam ceilings, flawless shaker dining tables and windows that look out into the splendor of Yamhill-Carlton—does not disappoint, from its views to its wine offerings and events like Bubbles Fest 2015 where 10 Willamette Valley producers reveal their underground sparkling wine projects.
Winemaker Tom Houseman’s love for Pinot Noir has taken him around the globe and back, from New Zealand and California’s Anderson Valley to several exemplar producers in Oregon. His affection for the variety has also allowed him to explore his creativity within the grape—including the Cube Project (a collaboration with two California wineries in which the three winemakers make wine from the exact same vineyards) and the 2011 Prisme Pinot Noir Blanc. Selected from elite Pinot Noir blocks, gently pressed to release free run juice (which excludes color and tannin from the skin contact), barrel-fermented, then aged on the lees in French oak barrels for 18 months, this wine is a “purist” expression of Pinot Noir. With dazzling acidity, fig, baked apple, yellow plum and apricot break through, while the palate is gripping and salivation-inducing, richly textured and acrobatically balanced.
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