TN: 2019 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Wadensvil Block Corrine Vineyard

WINE TALK
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  • 2019 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Wadensvil Block Corrine Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains (6/23/2023)
    I’m fascinated by the Wadensvil clone of Pinot Noir. There’s a savory element to them that seems to appear regardless of site. As a fan of savory I am hooked. This medium bodied Pinot shows elegant black cherry fruit, as well as a deep, loamy earthiness that provides an anchor, and a fresh, herbal top note that carries freshness. The extra gear comes in with a dash of soy umami on the finish. It’s not dominant, just an extra layer of seasoning. As usual, it’s a fascinating expression of Wadensvil.
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Amen, brother.

When I was at PGC last month I was very impressed.

@Jim_Anderson can give some background on this clone and vineyard?

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IIRC there is an old Levi Dalton podcast about Eyrie Vineyards where they talk about Wadensvil a good bit. Will have to find it.

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Posted from CellarTracker

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[quote=“brigcampbell, post:2, topic:302277, full:true”]

@Jim_Anderson can give some background on this clone and vineyard?[/quote]
Wadensvil was the original Pinot Noir clone available in America in the 1960s. It’s Swiss in origin. Pommard showed up in the 70s. In Oregon when the Dijon clones hit in the 90s Wadensvil fell out of favor and there’s a 10-12 year period where almost none was planted, very little any way as it was viewed as a later ripening and “lighter” clone than others available.

Patty and I saw the possibilities of this clone in marine soil when we made the wines for Shea Wine Cellars in 2001. We split a block of Wadensvil (Block 32) with SWC and it was outrageously good. We knew our sad block of Wadenavil would eventually recover (15 years later it did) and be one of it not the top wine from the Estate. We actively searched for and still do to this day Wadensvil in any type of soil but especially marine soils.

It runs to red fruit and elegance in style but it will absorb the stuff around it in a very distinct and beautiful way. I think the inherently more difficult growing conditions marine soils provide make for a wine that shows the soul of the clone but with all the beautiful earth, mineral, rough edges that places like our Estate, Corrine, etc. enact upon wines.

We have four distinct bottlings that are 100% Wadensvil and I love them all.

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Enjoying the 2021 tonight. Ever-evolving nose, but also moments of soy. So perfumed and intense. Packed - I keep thinking “Wow!” each sip of this wine. Really nice.

This is about my sixth different 2021 and each has been intense, open for business at this young age. I am new to Jim’s wines. Are the 2021s more “open” than is typical for PGC Pinot Noir? Or did many of vintages show this well two years post-vintage? If so, it’s easy for me to see how some folks have a hard time keeping their hands off these young wines.

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I get that soy note too. So much so that I’ve been pairing up some of my PGCs with Asian cuisine, and it totally works.

I’ve found most of Jim’s wines to really need time to show their best, but they’re still quite enjoyable young assuming you can handle a little structure in your Pinot. Some sites do better young, too, like Durant. The more southern sites, like Freedom Hill, need the most time.

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I don’t think the 21’s are more open at this stage than other vintages I’ve had. I believe there is huge variation in their wine in this regard, the La Belle Promenade was destemmed with low levels of new oak and was drinking great all summer long. I had a wind ridge this summer and it was dense, coiled, and tight.

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Thanks for the kind words. Glad you’re enjoying that wine. Since 2009 this (as Olenik in its original incarnation) has been a mainstay in our line up.

In the first few months after bottling some of our 2021s got really wonky (oddly the Estate Wadensvil became nearly undrinkable) however, in general, I think the ‘21 vintage was so dense and lush and balanced that it allows for both highly pleasurable early drinking without sacrificing the potential of 20+ years worth of age/development. So, terrific wines no matter what you decide to do with them.

Again, glad you enjoyed it. The Corrine Wadensvil is a real gem and I’m more than pleased that you got it and are getting something cool out of it.

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Brian, totally agree with you on the Wind Ridge. I should have let that one rest for a decade. A lot of blue/black fruit, but so structured and tight. Unique terroir for sure, but definitely needs time to relax. Now I know.

The Durant Bishop Block, on the other hand, drinking so well right now. Down to just one left on those and it won’t last long here.

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@Jim_Anderson wasn’t sure if your reaction was concern over the soy note we’re getting from the Corrine. For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem like a VA thing to me, truly just a savory umami secondary note. I only get it from that particular bottling, and I think it’s super interesting.

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Never concerned about what peoples’ notes are. That’s a personal and experiential sort of thing. I also know that wine is wicked.

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Generally (GENERALLY) marine soil Oregon Pinots are going to be more wrapped, savory, structured and tense/terse than volcanic soil Oregon Pinots. Given that we make lots of both I have some experience here and the more friendly growing environment of, say, the Dundee Hills compared to Ribbon Ridge lends itself to more opulent, silky and fruit-tacular sorts of Pinots. Hence the Durant being more open and pleasurable than the Wind Ridge.

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Thanks Jim. That makes perfect sense based on my own tasting experiences. Curious how those soil types variations translate to Chardonnay as well

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Both Marcus and I make volcanic (Durant) and marine soil (Whistling Ridge for Marcus, Estate for me) Chardonnays. Pretty easy to see the translation of soil into the fruitier, rounder Durant wines and the more austere and mineral-driven Ribbon Ridge wines. Marcus had WAY more experience than do I as our first Estate Chardonnay was in 2021 which is also our last vintage with Durant Chardonnay.

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