2007 Antica Terra Pinot Noir- USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/27/2009)
Another bottle sourced for the holidays and popped way too early…well, maybe not as both of these bottles showed surprisingly well within 3 days of each other. This bottle however was popped and poured, and showed so much better than the bottle decanted on Christmas Eve. Very strange, but maybe this is better popped and poured right now, but it has me a bit confused! Regardless, this is only going to get better with some age. No crazy barnyard funk on the nose like the bottle on Christmas Eve. Nice fruit forward nose of strawbery, cherry, and blueberry, with very little hint of alcohol on the nose. On the palate, more cherry and strawberry, with more hints of spice. This seemed much more fruit foward than the last bottle, and again pretty uncharacteristic of Oregon to me compared to other Oregon pinot noir. Regardless, not a bad thing. Very pleasant finish made this bottle go down nicely, and another true pleasure. Kudos to Maggie Harrison for yet another great wine! (92 pts.)
Had to source for the holidays as I vowed not to check any luggage, so swung by Craig’s shop, Premier Cru Wine Merchants in Arlington Heights, and picked up the whole Maggie Harrison lineup. If there is one time that I think drinking something early is ok, it is when I have to source when travelling. Nothing wrong with taking one for the team here when I have to source from somewhere. That said, I popped and decanted one of these on Christmas Eve for about 2 hours at cellar temp in my parents cellar. This is the first ’07 A.T. I’ve popped, and the nose had me a bit scared. Initial nose was a bit frightening with all the funk. Tons of barnyard on the nose, with faint hints of strawberry and baking spice. Thankfully, the palate showed very well for something so darn young, and this was by far the most approachable ’07 Oregon pinot I had tried, though I will admit we haven’t popped many ‘07’s at all. The palate showed some nice dark black fruits: blackberry, boysenberry, and a hint of blueberry, with some strawberry and cherry. Obviously being so young, there is still some acidity, but the tannins seemed very mellow, and I found this wine to be very approachable. Some have mentioned that they find the ’07 to be a bit candied, but I don’t taste or smell any candied fruit in the least. I will however say that this does seem to show more fruit than most Oregon pinot noir. Not sure if it is just the wine, or if it is the vintage. Touch call. Regardless, my stepfather and I put this bottle down pretty quick, and I look forward to having another on one Sunday! Cheers! (89 pts.)
Nice notes. I drank one a couple of weeks ago and had some similarities – notably barnyard/hay/grassy aroma when opened, but became more subtle. I also found the wine opened up rather quickly (I thought after about 1.5 hours) and very beautifully. My summation was that it may not need too many more years if it opens up so nicely, but to me that is also a sign of a ageability… fine line, I guess.
Here were my notes:
2007 Antica Terra Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/21/2009)
Very subtle nose upon opening, reminded me of a Burgundy at first, barnyard, grassy. A little minty, too (spearmint).
Palate was light fruit, strawberry, watermelon, slight cinnamon stick and an obvious black pepper in the finish (which actually became more subtle as it opened). Also, acid was a bit high, mid-palate, at the start. Finish was average length.
So to sum up, it was light & quite pleasant at beginning, but opened up very, very beautifully and rather quickly (by 2nd glass, maybe 1 - 1.5 hours in decantur). Although it probably would age well, I don’t necessarily think this one needs it. Right now it is very enjoyable with a bit of air. Nice wine. (91 pts.)
Thanks for the double notes. I did like this wine and like what Maggie is doing although it may not be in my preferred style. The wine is on special at Vinopolis but I still think the price point is a little high. Considering the price, not sure I’ll be buying any more Antica Terra … but will always be happy to drink
I’m pretty much with you Jason - bought this in October at Vinopolis at 10% off the $47 price, so $42 +change (love to buy in Oregon, no sales tax…)
I drank it in early November, splash decanted and let it open up an hour or more. Did not get barnyard (which I dislike), but did find it a bit bigger and darker fruited than I prefer although it did have good depth and I do think it would age a bit.
But I said the same thing at the time - a bit on the expensive side, especially at the list price. I see that Vinopolis now has it for $38.21 (.21??). I have a lot of other WV pinot i’m interested in at that price point, but if you like the style it is a well made wine, and now at a pretty good price.
I bought a bottle of the 06 as an experiment and subsequently encountered it at a tasting…too much oaky ripeness for my palate. The 07 moved closer to my wheelhouse. Curious to see which way it heads in 08…grace or brawn?
Disclaimer: I’ve never bought anything from OPNC, know nothing about shipping, etc. They seem quite reputable, just a bit on the higher priced side in general.
Phillip - I tried the 08 Botanica from barrel earlier this year. I didn’t take any notes, but I can remember it being great juice. Supple, showing its place well, young/primary, very expressive nose. It was one of our favorite visits of the trip, and as most people will tell you, Maggie and her team (I believe Chad and Nate) were great people. They shared future plans about Antica Terra and Lillian. She seemed very hopeful for '08’s but also knows that across the board that '08 Oregon are going to be great wines. It also impressed me that they are embracing the fact that they are young winemakers and that Antica Terra has room to be even better down the road. They are working to improve the vineyard and also planting some other varietals to experiment with. I wish them the best.
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