You may remember Nuccio’s story from previous offers: He got his start in wine at a retail store in Washington, D.C., then worked in distribution in Boston before following the siren call of the West Coast. He went to enology school in California while also working in vineyards, but he knew his ultimate destination would be Oregon’s Willamette Valley—a place that captured his attention since his first sips of Willamette Pinot back in D.C. He found work with Russ Raney at Oregon’s Evesham Wood (where he remains the winemaker), and simultaneously cultivated a network of vineyard sources with which to launch Haden Fig.

The Croft Vineyard, a southeast-facing slope nestled in the eastern foothills of Oregon’s coast range near Salem, is the most recent addition to the Haden Fig vineyard-designate lineup. Spanning 90 acres (fairly large by Willamette Valley standards) and farmed organically for 30 years, the site is not far from the “mouth” of the Van Duzer corridor, the break in the coast range that funnels cooling Pacific breezes into the valley. The soils are a classic Willamette mix of Bellpine (sedimentary rock) and Jory (volcanic basalt), lending the resulting wine a firm structural backbone to complement its bright, high-toned aromatics.

The big “take-home” on the Haden Fig wines is indeed that structural element. Many wines at this price point are perfectly tasty and ripe but lack nerve—this one stands up straight and gives you a firm handshake, one of the characteristics we love about Pinot Noir from Burgundy as well. The 2014 vintage in the Willamette Valley was much-hyped—it was a warm year with a huge crop, and described many in “vintage of a lifetime” terms—though in some instances we’ve found the results a little overblown. Not here. Nuccio fermented the hand-harvested Croft fruit (100% destemmed) in open-topped vessels and aged it in French oak barrels (just 20% of which were new) for 16 months before bottling. In the glass, it’s a bright ruby moving to pink at the rim, with deep and expressive aromas of black raspberry, wild strawberry, red and purple flowers, hibiscus tea, baking spices, and underbrush. Medium-bodied and nicely framed by freshness and very fine-grained tannins, it offers an enlivening mix of richness and refreshment. There’s great energy here, and it’s ready to drink: pull the cork about 30 minutes before serving at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems, and pair it with the attached grilled salmon preparation, which employs a little soy and brown sugar in the marinade. Next stop, the Oregon Coast. Cheers!