Bergstrom - "Cumberland Reserve" Willamette Valley AVA Pinot Noir 2020 750ml (12.7% ABV)

Bergstrom Wines is a family-owned & operated artisan producer started in 1999 by Dr. John and Karen Bergstrom, with the help of their son Josh Bergstrom and his wife Caroline. Josh is general manager, vineyard manager and winemaker and pulls his expertise from his education in Burgundy, France and his 14 years experience making wines in Oregon's Northern Willamette Valley. Bergstrom focuses on hand-crafting small lots of wines from their estate vineyards carefully chosen from five of Oregon's six wine-growing appellations. All estate acreage is farmed biodynamically.

all sites have been farmed without the use of herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, or systemic chemicals. Bergstrom prefers composting and treating with homeopathic herbal and mineral teas. Each year they build hundreds of tons of compost piles with local and organic cow manure, local and organic straw and grasses, all of the previous harvest’s fermented grape skins, seeds, stems and winter vine-prunings, as well as curative herbs like chamomile, yarrow, valerian, dandelion and stinging nettle.  When added back to our vineyards each spring, this compost helps build rich, fertile complex soils with better structure, water holding capacity, and vitality.

Names for the road where the Bergstrom family grew up in Portland, this cuvee is the flagship release: a blend of some of the best barrels from their estate vineyards. The epitome of the Bergström style-the expression of a unique vintage’s character combined with the perfect marriage of spice, mineral, and fresh fruit flavors.

sourced from these sites: Bergström, La Spirale, Silice, & Le Pré du Col Vineyards in Dundee Hills, Ribbon Ridge, and Chehalem Mountains AVAs. Vines are 16-22 years old. Marine sedimentary sandy soils and volcanic basalt clays. Elevation ranges between 375-500 feet.

Notes from the winemaker: "A bright ruby-red color with youthful violet hues. Aromas of roses and violets leap from the glass accompanied by strawberry and raspberry and seductive notes of spicy sandalwood and incense. On the palate, it is elegantly medium in body, bursting with fresh, red-fruit flavors and a zesty, savory complexity. A serious structure of vibrant acidity and ripe tannins acts as conductor of the orchestra, ensuring this wine is both deliciously pairable with culinary delights from this upcoming harvest and ready to age gracefully in the cellar."

region: Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA

varietal: Pinot Noir

style: light earthy red

farming/cellar: Certified Biodynamic, 100% whole-cluster fermentation in open-top, temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks, Native fermentation where possible. Inoculation with selected native Burgundian strains of yeast where needed, 100% malolactic and alcoholic fermentation (no residual sugars or malic acids), aged 12 months élevage in neutral barrels, some vintages are lightly filtered

pairing: grilled salmon, 

92 pts James Suckling & Robert Parker