For those thinking they’d consumed Haden Fig’s entire lineup of best-in-class Pinot Noirs, today’s special library release has two words for you: “think again!” With just six barrels originally produced and only a few dozen cases remaining, here lies your only chance to acquire Erin Nuccio’s 2017 bottling from the iconic, ever-growing legend that is Willamette Valley’s “Freedom Hill” vineyard. 

This singular trove of vines has become a white-hot source for Oregon’s finest producers: The current list contains HOFers like Walter Scott, Ken Wright, Lange, Purple Hands, and Patricia Green Cellars, all of which charge $60-$100+ for their wines. Whenever I taste a Haden Fig bottling—and there have been too many to count—I’m always thunderstruck by the superior level of detail, finesse, and Pinot Noir purity swirling about the bottle. But given the supreme terroir in today’s breathtaking gem, the extremely generous $39 price tag just hits different. In my eyes, it’s the finest pound-for-pound value in all of “Freedom Hill.” Erin was kind enough to hand over what little remained in his wine library so grab up to six bottles and chalk it up as a major victory. 

NOTE: This final parcel is still resting in Nuccio’s cellar in Oregon, so please allow 7-10 days for it to safely reach our warehouse.

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. In fact, Erin crafts and bottles today’s wine at Evesham Wood. 

In the minds of many experts, “Freedom Hill” qualifies as a ‘Grand Cru’ site. First planted in 1982 by Dan and Helen Dusschee on a gently sloping hillside southwest of Salem, this vineyard is a former seabed, with sedimentary soils that characterize much of the Willamette Valley. Located further west, and closer to the coast range, than many key Willamette Valley sites (and very much in the path of the Van Duzer corridor winds blowing in from the Pacific through a gap in that range), this is a cool site known for Pinot Noirs of great freshness, perfume, and structure.

All vines are worked by hand and farmed sustainably. Nuccio’s crop came from two acres of 20-year-old Pommard clones, which he believes offers “great insight for those looking to learn the propulsive flavors of single-clone wines when juxtaposed against the neighboring Croft vineyard.” At his winery, the grapes underwent a native-yeast fermentation with twice-daily “punch downs,” and the resulting wine matured in mostly neutral French barrels for 16 months. Each wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

Nuccio’s wines show a complete mastery of fusing supple fruit, grip, elegance, and mineral backbone into one dynamic mouthfeel. His wines are always highly vibrant and have no trouble flaunting deep, expressive aromas after 30 minutes in a decanter (note: if you find it a touch reductive, decant longer). Served in bulbous Burgundy stems a touch under 60 degrees, this 2017 “Freedom Hill” flaunts high-toned reds and blues underscored by a masterful, savory backbone of turned earth, damp moss, loose tea, pomegranate seed, blood orange zest, and light baking spice. Wild strawberry, morello cherry, and blue plum fill the mid-palate before a gloriously cleansing wave of bright acidity accentuates the lightly spiced, mouthwatering finish. Purchase one or two bottles more than usual because this will be an absolute pleasure to drink over the next five years. Cheers!