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Forager Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

Forager Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2024

  • Oregon
  • Red

¥5,500 (incl. tax)

HIGHLIGHTS
FORAGER is the expression of low-yielding sites combined with classic low-impact winemaking techniques and gentle French oak maturation, which captures the essence of the vineyard and the purity of Pinot Noir. FORAGER speaks to how growing, gathering, and judiciously blending small lots of delicious Pinot Noir can deliver serious flavor and interest.

BACKGROUND
FORAGER, now in its 16th vintage, is made by Farmer, Winemaker, Vigneron, and ‘Chief Foraging Officer’, Jonathan Pey. Born in New Jersey and raised in France, Jonathan has been studying, selling and making wine for 4 decades. He has worked vineyards from the Napa Valley to the Douro in Portugal. Surrounded by industry icons he developed a preference for minimal intervention in the vineyard and winery, creating vibrant, expressive wines, with bountiful aromatics and complex fruit, intricate structure and finely-honed ‘sense of place’.

PACKAGE
Cork forests sequester about one ton of carbon per year, so we have adopted carbon-neutral, natural corks. We also moved to FSC-certified recycled paper and compostable inks, as well as a lighter weight glass bottle. Please recycle if available in your area. The label features a Polaroid of Oregon’s famously foraged Chanterelle mushrooms, which pair deliciously with FORAGER Pinot Noir.
 

Details
Country
America
Region
Oregon
Appellation
Willamette Valley
Winery
Forager
Vintage(s)
2024
Color
Red
Varietal(s)
100％ Pinot Noir
Data
Closure
Natural Cork
Volume
750ml
Alcohol
13.5%
Product Code
4116224
UPC
7-98304-37805-4
Owning & Enjoying
Tasting notes

This classic Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is visually appealing for its gorgeous translucent garnet robe. Blue fruited berry aromatics lead the way, complemented by Italian plum, clementine and a minty shiso note. Dense, plummy and blueberry notes persist onto the soft, velvety pallet, which is accented on the finish with hints of earth and cinnamon. Juicy and delicious!

Production
Terroir

Fruit from vineyards in the North Willamette Valley are planted on wind-blown loess and volcanic soils with some marine sediments. These two soil types contribute to both the bright fruit tones and the soft texture, which is the signature balance of FORAGER Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

 

Vintage Notes

2024, our 16th Forager vintage, was a balanced growing season in the Willamette Valley. Not too hot, not too cold - just the right warmth to grow grapes with vibrant fruit, lively aromatics and supple texture that made a delicious Pinot Noir that is ready to drink now and will continue to develop complexity for several years. Cool and dry temperatures in September and October leading into harvest enabled full phenolic and textural maturation while simultaneously preserving harmony between the sugars and acidity.

Viticulture

 

 

Vinification

Harvested the second and third week of October, the Pinot Noir was 80% destemmed, 20% Whole Cluster. After a brief 48 hour cold soak, the grapes were fermented in open top fermenters. To preserve a gentle extraction, wine was softly pumped over the cap, which preserved the delicate texture of the fruit and avoided over-extraction. A long, gentle, low-pressure pneumatic press cycle slowly coaxed the juice from the grapes. The fermented juice then flowed into barrel where it rest for 6 months in 15% New French Oak. After elevage, the wine was racked out of barrel and bottled with minimal sulfur (26ppm) to allow for maximum expression right out of the bottle.

 

Maturation: 15% New French oak for 6 months

Winery
Winery Description

Jonathan Pey, who was enchanted by the beauty of wine during his teenage years while living with his family in Paris, France, returned to the United States to obtain a bachelor's degree in agronomy. He then worked as a French wine importer, further deepening his knowledge of wine. Through the opportunity to collaborate with Robert Mondavi, he delved deeply into Napa Cabernet and founded TEXTBOOK in Napa Valley in 2004. This wine quickly earned praise from critics and garnered enthusiastic fans. Although it was sold to an international wine group in 2019, he still serves as their advisor.

 

FORAGER

ORAGER began amidst the confusion of the 2008 financial crisis when a nearby winery canceled a grape contract with a contracted farmer one week before harvest. Despite not knowing what to do with the finished wine, FORAGER agreed to purchase the grapes to assist the struggling farmers. Today, they aim to produce delicious wines that maximize the uniqueness of the land and focus on small-batch production.