Torii Mor Pinot Noir 2023

The 2023 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a classic interpretation of the “Black Label” from Torii Mor. The wine starts with rich aromas of wildflowers and roses, mixed in with complex red and dark berries, including cherries. The flavors are fresh, rich and sweet. The entry is forward, sweet and spicy, the fresh acidity enhances the rich and complex fruity center of sweet darker berries and cherries, the mid palate carries on that velvet-fruity goodness to a long, enjoyable aftertaste of pure Oregon Pinot Noir. The mouth feel is rich and elegant. The finish is very long, sweet, with the complexity of fruit, juicy tannins and a hint of spices. Tasted June 5, 2025

The Vineyards

The grapes that comprise Torii Mor’s Willamette Valley Pinot Noir come from 8 vineyards: Alloro, Buttonfield, Zenith, La Colina, Olson, Varga, La Dolce Vita and Nysa.

Oregon’s 2023 growing season was marked by a cool start, subsequent warm temperatures and a very dry summer with a small rain event in September. Early spring in Willamette Valley was wet and cool. That led to the bud break being delayed 10+ days. May had some very warm periods in the high 80s to mid-90s. As a result, while the bud break was late, bloom was advanced. This made for one of the shortest periods ever from bud break to bloom across most growing regions in Oregon. Throughout July, temperatures were consistently warm but not overly hot. That heat wave would arrive August 13th through the 16th which helped account for the hottest and driest August on record that propelled the growing season forward. The warm temperatures led to an early harvest starting September 18th and ending October 2nd.

Harvested between September 18th and September 29th at 23.2 to 25.6 Brix (most in mid 24), the 2023 Willamette Valley Pinot noir was hand sorted, fermented with RB2, BRL and B3001 yeasts, in small fermenters with limited whole cluster inclusion for 15 to 25 days without cold soak, 3 punch downs a day, pressed very gently, and racked to a variety of French oak barrels: 26% new oak and the rest neutral. The barrels were racked in August when the blend was put together before the 2024 harvest.

The name ‘Torii Mor’ is an integration of the Japanese the word for a gate to sacred place and the ancient Scandinavian word ‘Mor’ which means: "earth."  By integrating these two distinct languages, the metaphor of the vine as a sacred gate to the earth through which beautiful things come is formed.  Perhaps no other varietal expresses the sense of place from which it comes more elegantly than Pinot Noir, and Torrii Mor’s Pinot Noirs are carefully crafted with minimal handling and native yeast fermentation to express what the earth offers in the most nonintrusive and purest style possible.
Torii Mor views wine, especially Pinot noir, is a priceless, non-reproducible work of art created by the cooperation of people with nature and people with each other.  It is both art and a story to be enjoyed with family and friends.  We think that you will agree.