Brittan Vineyards
Gestalt Block Pinot Noir 2017
McMinville
Winemaker Robert Brittan, a wine industry veteran with the experience of over 45 harvests, has always had a passion for Pinot noir; a love affair that began in the 1980’s when he made several vintages under his Britt Hill label with fruit from Carneros. In 2004, Robert decided to leave Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa and start a Pinot noir project in the cool climate of the northern Willamette Valley.
Planted in the Wetsern-most part of the estate, a dense layer of basalt soil greatly diminishes yields, resulting in black fruited wines with high structure and complexity.
Vineyard
The Gestalt Block, a two-acre parcel planted primarily to Pinot noir selection 115, occupies the southwest flank of our hillside. The vines here are planted in shallow topsoil underpinned by a young, dense layer of intrusion basalt, and yield less than one ton of fruit per acre. The small, thick-skinned berries (a product of the Van Duzer winds) produce wines with a dark fruit core and pronounced phenolic intensity that showcase the essence of the vintage.
Winemaking
The aim at Brittan Vineyards is to remove the hand of the winemaker during wine production. With this, minimal fuss and movement are trademarks of Robert’s style, producing wines of varietal complexity and nuance. After whole cluster pressing, the must ferments in barrel. Elevage occurs over 12 months in 27% new French oak.
Vintage
Akin to the prior three vintages, 2017 provided a consistently warm growing season for the vines at our estate vineyard, resulting in generous (for us) average yields approaching two tons per acre. Springtime flowering and fruit set, while delayed by a cool and wet winter, were even across the blocks and dry conditions at harvest meant little to no pressure from disease. The resulting wines are full bodied yet retain the mineral notes and taut core of acidity that have become the hallmarks of Brittan Vineyards.
Tasting Note
In typical fashion, the 2017 Gestalt Block Pinot noir fully expresses the savory side of Brittan Vineyards. Tobacco, pea shoots, five-spice, licorice, gunpowder and flint show up alongside rich black plum, blackberry, dark cherry and black currant. This is a phenolic, tannindriven wine with a long, complex and savory finish.
Color
Red
Grape Varieties
Pinot Noir
Appellation
McMinville
Farming
Practicing Organic
Alcohol
13.1%
Suggested Retail Price
$60
Reviews
"Full Flavored"
Paul Gregutt - April 15, 2022 All of Robert Brittan’s 2017 Pinots are finished at lower alcohol levels than the previous vintage, but remain balanced and ripened appropriately. This is full flavored, with raspberry and black-cherry fruit, juicy acids, and hints of mushroom and earth. It’s a bit high-toned, with subtle volatility that will only be obvious to those quite sensitive to it. But the overall concentration and length power it beautifully.
"Impressive Depth"
Josh Raynolds - April 15, 2022 Glistening ruby-red. Smoke-tinged cherry, dark berries, candied rose and a hint of vanilla on the highly perfumed nose. Intense black raspberry, bitter cherry, licorice and floral pastille flavors show impressive depth and turn sweeter as the wine opens up. Finishes very long and subtly chewy, with resonating florality, building spiciness and well-integrated tannins that meld smoothly with the wine’s juicy, lingering dark fruit.
Trade Materials
Brittan Vineyards Gestalt Block Pinot Noir 2017 Tech Sheet
Added April 15, 2022 -
Other Wines by this Producer
Estate Syrah
McMinville
Winemaker Robert Brittan developed a love for Rhône varieties during his first visit to the Northern Rhône Valley in the early 1980’s. Captivated by the cool climate Syrahs from Cornas and Côte-Rôtie and intrigued by the cool, windy climate in McMinnville, Robert was encouraged to explore how Syrah would express itself on his rugged, exposed hillside.
Cygnus Block Pinot Noir
McMinville
The three-acre, east facing Cygnus Block was planted in 2008 to the low-yielding Swan Selection of Pinot noir (the only single-selection block on the property). Unlike the rest of the vineyard, rows here are planted in an east/west orientation giving the block a different exposure to the sun and reducing the influence of the Van Duzer winds, which are channeled through the rows instead of across them. This block’s unique aspect, orientation, and selection create fresh, balanced, seamless wines brimming with red fruits.
Estate Pinot Noir
McMinville
Winemaker Robert Brittan, a wine industry veteran with the experience of over 45 harvests, has always had a passion for Pinot noir; a love affair that began in the 1980’s when he made several vintages under his Britt Hill label with fruit from Carneros. In 2004, Robert decided to leave Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa and start a Pinot noir project in the cool climate of the northern Willamette Valley.
Estate Chardonnay
McMinville
Robert Brittan developed a love for Chardonnay during his tenure as the first winemaker at Far Niente Winery in the early 1980’s, a passion that continued to grow during his 16 years at Stags’ Leap Winery. In 2004, Robert decided to leave California and start a vineyard project in the cool climate of the northern Willamette Valley, the home of the finest New World Chardonnay grown today.
