Recommendations Similar to PGC Berserker’s Cuvée

Hi everyone,

My girlfriend fell in love with the ‘14 Patty Green Berserker’s Cuvée. Unfortunately, 5.5 delicious cases later, PGC has finally run out of the juice.

She has tried the PGC Freedom Hill Vineyard, which she liked but not nearly as much as the Berserker’s Cuvée. So now we’re on the hunt for something with a similar flavor profile (especially what my girlfriend describes as a strong grapefruit note she got from the BC). Any recommendations out there (even better if it’s around the same price point as the BC)?

Thanks!
Nick

Oh wow, I’m posting here to follow it as well - hopefully Jim can come on board and make recommendations, as he’d know better than most

5.5 cases wow… you can just get a couple of friends together and get Jim to make you a barrel.

That wine was a real bargain so also interested to see if anything matches at that price point.

Not an expert, but wasn’t there some Lia’s Vineyard in the BC? You could try the Longplay estate stuff (same vineyard), which is always a fine wine at a great price, if not as great a price as the BC.
Going purely on memory and considering the price point, you might also try the 2015 Goodfellow Willamette Valley PN, which you can find online still for a bit over $20.
For a few dollars more, but still under $30, check out the Cameron Dundee Hills bottling.
Not sure any of these hit the grapefruit note, but worst case you’ll have a few more bottles of delicious well-priced oregon pinot.

You could go to Commerce Corner and see if someone is willing to sell/trade. According to CT, there are still over 1,000 bottles in CT cellars.

Great, here come the flippers

Try the Reserve. It’s VG for the price ($25-ish).

The 2013 was closer to BC than the ‘12 or ‘15, but it’s a solid PGC Pinot every year. I never tried the ‘14 so can’t comment. ‘16 should be out soon, if not already released…

Thanks everyone! I ordered a half case with 2 bottles each of the ‘16 Lia’s Vineyard, ‘15 Marine Sedinentary, and ‘16 Marine Sedimentary for her to try (this fall/winter when it finally cools down enough here in FL to ship that is).

Unfortunately the ‘16 Reserve is already sold out so I’ll keep an eye out for the ‘17s when they come out. I’ll also check out the Goodfellow and Cameron that Dave recommended.

Thanks and keep the suggestions coming! One can never have enough Oregon Pinot (or at least I can’t).

Glad the 2014 Berserker Cuvee was a big hit with you and yours! That was a fun 2 vintage project that I think lots of people here enjoyed for several reasons and it certainly did not hurt the winery!

This got started when in 2014 I felt like there was a selection of barrels from the 2013 vintage that didn’t fit the SVD profile of the bottlings we were doing from those sites but were also interesting barrels that seemed to have a commonality to them that would allow them to be an individual wine existing outside of the Willamette Valley Reserve and the SVD wines. I had no plan as to what to do with that wine but assumed I would figure it out and that the wine would sell really well even if it was maybe just a 1-off. That ultimately became The Berserker Cuvee and the wine was basically repeated (although with even more elevated blocks and barrels IMO) in the 2014 vintage.

We own our Estate Vineyard, manage a vineyard in its entirety in the Dundee Hills and purchase Pinot Noir from 8 other sites. We bottle a lot of individual Pinots (in 2017 there will be 27 individual wines). The largest “category” of fruit comes from Ribbon Ridge and very near to us vineyards in the Chehalem Mountains. We bottle a wine from those vineyards called Marine Sedimentary and I think that would be the wine most similar to the fruit sourcing and nature of the Berserker Cuvee. We actually still have some of the 2015 remaining. 2014 and 2015 are, generally speaking, similar vintages although I think most winemakers in Oregon and whom post here would likely say that 2015 seems to be the livelier, brighter, more red-fruited, fresher and more energetic vintage. The Marine bottling tends toward a darker fruit profile, mineralogy and a fair amount of structure. The vintage supplies it with some fleshier texture.

I think people that liked the 14 Berserker would find the 15 Marine Sedimentary up their alley. They’re not priced similarly but perhaps, you know, if people are interested…

Thanks for all the insight here, Jim.
I can’t tell, is the suggestion here that if there is mass interest for the marine sedimentary bottle there could be yet another very very fine PG deal?

I love the 2014 Berserker Cuvee and still have 24 plus bottles of it and have since been a member of the PGC Wine Club because of it. I would be interested in another special bottle for the forum.

Consider me interested as well Jim.

Loved both vintages of BC and am also enjoying this year’s BD wines.

Keep me in the loop!

Also would be interested

The BC was my first foray into Pinot. BD 2017 I took a flyer on a few producers based on recommendations from this forum. A case of 2014 BC was one of those purchases. A month or so later, as soon as I took the first sip of that wine, I knew it was special and I immediately regretted only ordering a case. I logged back onto the PG site, but by then it was all gone. I would LOVE to see another offering of BC.

Interested too!!

In case he is keeping tabs, you can put me down for 6 cases Jim.

Interested also, Jim.

We’re all interested, Jim. The best publicity ever.

BTW, since Island qualified for the World Cup, my wife looked up the origin of Berserker and said I fit the profile even though I am Finnish.

Thanks for the recommendation on the Marine Sedimentary - I ordered both the ‘15 and the ‘16 for her to try. If it is similar to the BC, I can guarantee that I’d be in for a few cases on a Berserkers deal .

That was the first wine I ordered from PGC and what led me to join the wine club as well. And I haven’t been disappointed yet! Just opened the ‘15 Durant Vineyard Bishop Block with dinner tonight in fact (delicious!).