The 2022 Bergstrom Pinot Noir ‘Silice’ from the Chehalem Mountains is another standout from Bergstrom’s talented winemaking team. In the glass, it shows a medium ruby-blue core with a light neon pink rim. The nose reveals vibrant notes of macerated raspberries, huckleberries, kumquats, crushed rock, and sweet cinnamon sticks. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and a crunchy texture that spans the breadth of the palate. With its structure and depth, this wine has serious aging potential and will be even better with proper cellaring, especially from 2026 onwards. A true candidate for long-term enjoyment, so buy a case and drink one every year to see how it evolves. Highly recommended and editor’s choice.
96 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com
From a site thought to possibly be a 60-million-year-old sand dune and the estate’s sandiest vineyard site (hence the name), the jeweled ruby-hued 2022 Pinot Noir Silice offers compact notes of black raspberries, baking spices, and tangerine and is highly perfumed with rocky earth. Medium-bodied, it has a more linear feel and is long on the palate, with ripe tannins, a more gravelly texture, and a great, savory finish. Elegant and compact at the same time, it can be enjoyed over the coming 15 or more years.
