Willamette, Oregon, United States
St. Innocent began as an idea conceived in a moment of passion and inspiration in 1983. Mark Vlossak spent the next five years studying, taking classes, and apprenticing with Oregon wine pioneer, Fred Arterberry. In 1988, St. Innocent Winery was founded. Our goal is to produce wines that respect the quality and tradition of the Old World in one of the newest and most exciting wine growing regions on the planet: Oregon's Willamette Valley.
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Temperance Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
| SKU | 132423 |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Willamette Valley, OR |
| Type | Red |
| Varietal | Pinot Noir |
| Listing | Speculative |
| Case Config. | 6x750ml |
| Available In | BC AB |
Colour
Vivid red.
Aroma
Highly expressive cherry and raspberry aromas touched by hints of flowers and spice.
Flavour
Offering juicy, densely packed red and dark berry flavours that become more expressive as the wine opens. Shows a lavender quality on the strikingly persistent finish, which is framed by silky tannins.
Food Pairing
Ideal with duck and other game birds, casseroles or, of course, stews like beef bourguignon.
More Info
Situated at 860' atop the Eola Hills, this is our coolest and therefore latest ripening vineyard. Managed by Dai Crisp, one of Oregon's great grapegrowers, it is farmed organically. We have two older blocks: one high on an east facing ridge ("East", six acres), the other slightly lower and facing south ("Pumphouse", 1.5 acres). Another block, called the "R" block lies on a long, gently south facing field between the two ridges of the vineyard (4.5 acres). It was planted between 2006 and 2009 with the Pommard clones of Pinot noir on phylloxera resistant rootstock and at a higher density.
Wine Enthusiast, May/2024
2019 -
"This wine is a testament to what happens when you match fruit from a great vineyard with a skilled winemaking hand. Raspberries, lilacs and blueberry honey form an aromatic Justice League, followed by similar flavors of raspberries, cacao nibs and lavender tea. The wine's acidity is still kicking, which is what you will be doing to yourself if you don't buy some." - Michael Alberty
James Suckling, Apr/2023
2019 -
"Cherries, dried strawberries, rose hips and oyster shells on the nose. Some lemon peel. It’s medium-bodied, tight and refined, with relatively firm tannins and a more mineral finish. Let it open. Drink from 2024."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Feb/2022
2018 -
"Limpid ruby-red. Mineral-tinged black raspberry, cherry cola, pungent flowers and exotic spices on the highly perfumed nose. Palate-caressing red and dark berry, spicecake and candied rose flavors show superb clarity, underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Concentrated but distinctly lithe in character, with a strikingly long, focused finish that features sneaky tannins and reverberating floral and spice notes."
James Suckling, Oct/2021
2018 -
"Bright and vivid aromas of pure strawberries and cherries with hints of fresh flowers. Medium to full body with firm, chewy tannins and a solid finish. Smoky undertone. Drink after 2023."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Feb/2022
2017 -
"Dark, bright-rimmed scarlet. Mineral-accented raspberry, cherry and exotic spice aromas are complemented by a potpourri note and a hint of smokiness. Shows impressive energy and definition on the palate, offering vibrant red berry, bitter cherry, rose pastille and spicecake flavors supported by a spine of smoky minerality. Finishes impressively long and taut, with an intriguing blood orange flourish and discreet tannins. I had the chance to re-taste the 2016 sibling of this wine, and compared to the 2017 it’s a more powerful rendition but in no way heavy. There's a somewhat darker profile to the fruit and more heft on the palate, but the vibrancy and cut of this 2017 are really compelling, making it more to my personal preference. I wouldn't kick either one out of the cellar for eating crackers or crusty baguettes."
James Suckling, Oct/2021
2017 -
"Lots of dried-strawberry and floral aromas with just hints of lemon rind, strawberry and walnut. Some nutmeg husk, too. It’s full-bodied with round, solid tannins and a rich finish. Better in a year or two. Try after 2022."
Wine Enthusiast, Apr/2022
2017 -
"This even-tempered wine deftly combines scents and flavors of hay, peat, strawberries and mushrooms. It's not a big wine but well balanced and lingers gracefully through a modest finish."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Jun/2019
2016 -
"Translucent red. Mineral-accented black raspberry, cherry cola and lavender scents are complemented by floral and licorice notes and a spicy nuance that gains strength in the glass. Well-concentrated yet lively as well, offering palate-staining red and blue fruit, spicecake and floral pastille flavors supported by a spine of smoky minerality. Finishes extremely long and smooth, displaying lingering red berry and five-spice powder qualities and slow-building tannins. (29% new French oak)"
James Suckling, Jan/2020
2016 -
"There’s some transient reduction here, so give this a good airing and some time in the glass before you drink it. The red-cherry aromas are framed in fresh spices and sappy complexity. There’s a structured, succulent and long palate that has some real potential. Give this a year or two. Try from 2023."
James Suckling, Dec/2017
2015 -
"A vibrant and incredibly spicy expression of pinot noir with a wealth of freshly picked blackcurrants, redcurrants, sour red cherries, orange rind and citrus. The palate doesn’t hold back though and is dense and well-rounded yet retains the same freshness as the nose with driven acidity. Just how this wine manages to combine such concentration and vivacity is a mystery. Truly exceptional. So delicious now but better from 2020 and beyond."
Antonio Galloni’s Vinous, Jan/2018
2015 -
"(aged in French oak barrels, 21% of them new) Deep lurid red. An expansive, impressively complex bouquet evokes ripe cherry, black raspberry, incense and potpourri, and smoky mineral and Asian spice nuances build with aeration. Silky, sweet and concentrated, yet lively as well, offering palate-staining red and dark berry, spicecake and floral pastille flavors that show outstanding clarity and back-end lift. Supple tannins frame the red-fruit-dominated finish, which hangs on with outstanding tenacity."
Wine Spectator, Dec/2016
2014 -
"Lithe, deftly balanced and generous, with plum and blackberry flavors, picking up roasted tomato notes as the finish lingers against fine tannins. Best from 2018 through 2024. 1,147 cases made."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Aug/2016
2014 -
"Vivid red. Highly expressive cherry and raspberry aromas are complicated by suave floral and Asian spice nuances. Sappy, sweet and broad on entry, then tighter in the midpalate, offering juicy, densely packed red and dark berry flavors that become sweeter and more energetic as the wine opens up. This really stains the palate. Shows a suave lavender pastille quality on the strikingly persistent finish, which is framed by silky, harmonious tannins."
James Suckling, Nov/2016
2014 -
"Aromas of plums and ocean breeze follow through to full to medium body, soft and velvety tannins and a savory finish. Hints of cedar and chocolate. Drink or hold."
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Jun/2016
2014 -
"The 2014 Pinot Noir Temperance Hill Vineyard has plenty of wild strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant pastilles on the nose, demonstrating more complexity and vivacity than the 2013 at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight chewiness on the entry. Here, a mixture of red and black fruit, quite sappy in the mouth with well-judged acidity, a touch of spice with good depth and grip on the finish. There are a couple of rough edges to iron out, but otherwise this is a decent Pinot Noir that should drink well over several years."