Lazy River 2018 Pinot Noir Estate, Yamhill-Carlton, Willamette Valley

The Lazy River Vineyard lies on the steep south facing slope of Mt. Richmond in the Northwest Willamette Valley, three and a half miles from Yamhill, Oregon. The Winemaker is none other than the iconic Isabelle Meunier. A native of Quebec, Isabelle studied winemaking and viticulture at the University of Dijon and in New Zealand at Lincoln University before cutting her winemaking teeth in Burgundy, under the watch of fellow French-Canadian Pascal Marchand at Domaine de la Vougeraie, and at New Zealand’s Felton Road, with Blair Walter.

Marchand recommended her to Dominique Lafon to oversee winemaking at his then-new Oregon consulting project, Evening Land, in 2007. Isabelle quickly became of one of Oregon’s most acclaimed winemakers. Her wines were selected for the Wine Spectator Top 100 wines of the Year from 2009 through 2015, including producing the highest rated Oregon Pinot Noir and highest rated Oregon Chardonnay ever, culminating in WS recognizing her 2012 ‘La Source’ Pinot Noir as the #3 wine in the world in 2015.

Lazy River has been growing and selling their remarkable fruit for years. There are Lazy River-designated Pinot Noirs produced by the likes of Elizabeth Chambers, Hamacher, Ponzi, Panther Creek, Lingua Franca and so many others. But Lazy River has always saved their most prized fruit for their own brand, this stunning Pinot offering. Not only did this wine the Gold Medal at the SavorNW Wine Competition, but has received rave reviews and accolades across various wine review publications. It also hails from a 96 Point Vintage, the highest rated vintage in Oregon this Century by RP!

Wine Enthusiast rated this wine 92 Points and said 'This vineyard is a favorite of quite a few producers. This is the estate winery's bottling, and it brings a tart, flavorful burst of black cherry fruit with a hard candy profile. It's a solid, concentrated wine that has a bit of a one note style. But what a great note it is. One-quarter was aged in new oak.'

SavorNW gave it a Gold Medal and said ‘This Pinot Noir from Lazy River Vineyard on the steep south facing slope of Mt. Richmond near Yamhill Oregon is a beautiful expression of earth and fruit. On the nose, earthy, floral and herbal aromas take center stage, mixing with light notes of macerated red berries and Allspice. The luxurious mouthfeel balances rich notes of cherry and cocoa before a finish with expanding acidity showing bright notes of raspberry and orange zest.’

A beautiful wine, tremendous value and one that you can only find at the winery or here!