TN: 2013 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Berserker Cuvée

  • 2013 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Berserker Cuvée - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains (3/9/2015)
    Medium ruby with magenta rim with brambles, light barnyard and light red berry nose. Open an hour. Dry with lightly tart red berry fruit, some mineral, smooth lightly chewy tannins. Very well balanced on the restrained side and should satisfy the AFWE bunch without any hard edges that need time to smooth. Drinking very well now. Light acid, fruit and tannins make drinking now a pleasure. I would term this a feminine wine whatever that means, a soft wine, not a bruiser. I do not have pool, but I can see a lot of this consumed on the patio. Pretty good for night one. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Brett?

Looks like quite a limited release on the Berserker Cuvee newhere

Thank you for your note. This sounds like at least a $19 wine to me. [berserker.gif]

No Brett, I get that in Rhones a lot, more like light leather, just on the aroma.
Just light red currants, blackberry this morning. Just sniffing, no tasting in the am.

I like this a lot. On par with some of the neighbors that produce a very good entry mid $20-30s PN.

I received my bottle yesterday and opened it in the evening, consuming half of the bottle and saving the other half for tonight to see how it evolves (pushed the cork back in and put it in the refrigerator). My plan is to have my parents come over and try it because they are potentially interested in buying some.

For context, my palate is pretty accustomed to high acid, AFWE Oregon pinot noir. I drink a bit of Burgundy but rarely anything above village or 1er cru wines. I try to branch out to CA pinot producers I read about but often find them too sappy for my taste. So with all the formalities out of the way, here goes.

Popped and poured the wine through an aerator/pourer spout into Riedel XL OR pinot glasses. My Thermapen showed the wine at 62 degrees. I would describe my initial whiff from the glass as earthy, with a bit of spice (cinnamon?), dark cherry, and a slight bit of sulphur or reductive character. This latter characteristic faded away very quickly over the time I sipped a couple of small glasses.

The wine is a dark ruby color that is silky smooth upon entry and has a relatively full mid-palate for an Oregon pinot. It is exceptionally smooth, so much so that I was concerned that it may be too soft for me, but right at the end a nice bit of acid brightens things up. Whether it’s bright enough for me may be my only quibble with this wine.

I would say the core of this wine, consistent with Jim’s blending comments, is a dark, brooding wine that is lifted by some red fruit (raspberries) on the back end. There is no doubting this wine is from Oregon. There is the faintest bit of a “graham cracker” note in the mid-palate that I find off-putting in even moderate doses, but this is quite restrained. It just sort of rounds out the wine a bit both aromatically and in the mouth. As I said, the wine finishes on the brighter side but there is a wisp of smoke that lingers at the same time.

Is this wine worth $19? Absolutely. I drink a fair amount of entry level Oregon pinot and they are often very linear and don’t have the elegance of this wine. If went out to a restaurant I would gladly pay $45 for the wine, and if I owned a restaurant I think it would be a big hit by the glass, appealing to a broad swath of consumers.

I also think this wine will appeal to many wine geeks on this board. It’s elegance and silky character will strike a chord with many, and it has a nice signature Oregon flavor profile. Only those who really prize acid over other characteristics are likely to be indifferent to this wine. But at the price, it’s a very different animal than what’s on the market. It’s delicious.

Finally, the previous tasting note mentioned barnyard and someone asked about Brett. I didn’t pick up any Brett at all. It is a really well made wine in a style that will appeal to most. Some people describe wines as “coiled” or “energetic” and I would say this wine is not in that camp. Jim suggested the wine was all about that bass, but I think it’s all about the smoothness.

Thanks to Jim for letting me play.

Night 2 update:
The wine is even better tonight. Exceptional balance and great flavor profile. Still in for at least 2 cases, probably more.

Browbeat Jim into sending me a bottle, which I won’t be able to taste and report upon until tomorrow. Hoping my bottle isn’t all about bass, as I got rid of my bass-o-matic a long time ago.

I actually could use another bottle to see how it performs next week with some more age. flirtysmile

To those who have tried it, have any of you had any Belle Pente Murto Vineyard? I wonder if there’s any similarity, only in that the latter is my favorite Oregon Pinot ever.

Todd, I opened a 2011 Murto last night with half remaining in the fridge for tonight. Rumor has it that a PGC Berserker Cuvee could be headed this direction for testing.

Belle Pente’s SVD Murto character is not something easily duplicated…not for $20! A similar price point (and higher) would be Belle Pente’s more generic Willamette Valley Pinot. PGCs Weber, Durant and Balcombe 1B would provide a better comparison to the Murto. Jim would know best.

RT

I didn’t find too big of a similarity. I believe both are pommard based, but from different AVAs. The BP Murto has a good dose of Wadensvil, however, which gives it the really hi-toned aromatics. If you’re looking to find something like Murto, you may be better off in the Dundee Hills.

Just popped my bottle. Some pop-and-pour notes, I’ll update later as the evening progresses.

Some reduction on the nose, a little spice, dark cherry for sure. No barnyard, no brett.

I find it a little brighter than Ron. The cherry is more raspberry on the palate, and there’s moderate acidity that’s well integrated. Medium body, a little tannin at the end, but pretty silky overall. There’s definitely a bright pop at the end, but the longest part of the finish, to me, is the darker fruit, which seems to be lurking under the brighter facade. What will happen in time is anyone’s guess.

Definitely seems ready to drink now, but there are some interesting contrasts between bright and dark that might be interesting down the road.

$20 seems crazy for this wine. Quality-wise this is definitely on par with the SVDs, for which I happily pay twice as much. Thanks for the sample, Jim, I hope this works out.

Michael

Night two warming to room temp from fridge; light spice on the nose, some dusty mineral, a little more restrained from last night with soft acid, light fruit and well integrated tannins. Silky and smooth just about sums it up. Drink and enjoy.

In one hour I have signed for this box, grilled my Berkshire pork-chop and enjoyed this wine. The dog is hungry and the sun is still shining but I feel if Jim took the time to send me this ASAP, I should respond in kind. A Super-Pobega if you may. This is a great value, no a SCREAMING value at $19.
Thanks for the look-see, Jim.


  • 2013 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Berserker Cuvée - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains (3/11/2015)
    A pretty light ruby color with some purple edges. The nose has an interesting ‘headiness’. I find some near ripened raspberries and some almost tart strawberries I really enjoy. Palate shows a nice deft balance with red fruits in command. There is some earth as sure as there is Sun. Mouth-feel is profound and acidity right on. This is certainly a foodies wine (It’s popping right now as I devour my grilled Berkshire pork chop). 20 minutes later the headiness has gone away; this really feels like it’s screaming of place, I am just not adept enough to know the place. Site is shown here bigtime. Finish is long and true to everything I just told you. Aggressive swirling makes this show it’s bold-elegance and depth. Served blind I would easily price this at $35-$40. I would say this is a bit heavier than the 2011/2012 Ribbon Ridge Old Vines I had a few months ago. My use of heavy is not a negative. This is the real deal. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker
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An hour open and this is taking on some awesome texture.

Thanks for the note, Mike. I was already in for two cases, and nothing you wrote makes me least bit uneasy about that.

I am with you on the 2011 Estate Old Vines. That is an impressive wine, and I have a bunch of them resting. If the Berserker Cuvee is in the same ballpark in quality, then it is quite a bargain.

There’s another thread on this already active, and likely 6-8 other folks about ready to post tasting notes. should we combine threads?

I think They have been combined.

Bottle at the door today.

Mild reductive Pinot funk with emerging OR woodsy notes. Loamy red fruit with black cherries, mild baking spice and light soy. Very faint traces of neutral oak. There’s a gentle attack with a feminine midpalate and a straightforward lingering finish. Nicely controlled ripeness and gentle balancing acidity. This is a Village level OR Pinot, and although the AVAs are different, not too dissimilar to St. I’s cuvee version. $19 is a very fair price for this well made daily drinker. It can appeal to both AFWEs as well as riper/rounder PN lovers.

RT

My wife tells me that a nice bottle arrived from Jim today. I’m out of town working, so will be a few days before I can try. Looking forward to it given the notes. Especially Trimpi’s :slight_smile: