Easkoot, “Chileno Valley Vineyard” Pinot Noir
Easkoot, “Chileno Valley Vineyard” Pinot Noir

Easkoot, “Chileno Valley Vineyard” Pinot Noir

California, United States 2017 (750mL)
Regular price$32.00
/
Your cart is empty.
  • In stock, ready to ship
  • Inventory on the way
Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Easkoot, “Chileno Valley Vineyard” Pinot Noir

While it remains true that I count a bottle of gorgeously refined Chambolle-Musigny to be among wine’s greatest pleasures, I can’t help but stir up some controversy today: Given the choice between Easkoot’s $35 “Chileno Valley” Pinot Noir and a $70 Chambolle, my money’s going towards two bottles of Easkoot. In just a few vintages, Easkoot’s hauntingly aromatic and richly textured Pinot Noirs have rocked the scene and tacitly called upon elite Burgundy to reevaluate their price-to-quality model. 


Tack on their commitment to sustainable farming, hands-off winemaking, and single-origin bottlings, and I can’t help but fall heavily for Easkoot’s small-batch gems—therein lies the nagging dilemma. These wines are crafted in ridiculously tiny numbers (today's 2017 clocks in at a paltry 188 cases), leaving a horde of consumers empty-handed each year. So, stockpile as many as you can because each lush, elegant, resoundingly pure release is cool-climate California Pinot at its best. Plus, you can’t find it for a better price!


Captain Alfred Derby Easkoot. What a name, what a pioneer. It was this man who was christened as Marin County’s first land surveyor in the 1800s, and today’s eponymous label is a deferential nod. Easkoot Cellars’ inaugural vintage came in 2009 and over the past decade, the sole focus has been on seeking out prime vineyards along the coast and crafting small-batch, parcel-designated wines. “Chileno Valley Vineyard” is a top-performing, 34-acre site planted in 1991 that’s currently farmed by dyed-in-the-wool farmer Mark Pasternak. Nestled deep in the hills of Marin County and wedged between the Pacific Ocean and San Pablo Bay, this is a cool, late-ripening site that produces structured and beautifully balanced Pinot Noir from Dijon and Pommard clones. You won’t find overly ripe, high alcohol wines here—and that’s especially true for a minimalist producer like Easkoot. 


After a meticulous hand harvest, the Pinot is trucked to the cellar where they slowly ferment, 20% whole cluster intact, on indigenous yeasts. The resulting wine is then transferred into mostly used French oak—they use high-quality Marcel Cadet barrels—for approximately 12-15 months before additional aging in bottle. 


Given a quick 15-minute decant, Easkoot’s 2017 “Chileno Valley” Pinot Noir roars out of the glass with lush, high-toned aromas of black cherry liqueur, ripe wild strawberry, spiced plum, Kola nut, candied violets, crushed rose petals, red licorice, damp moss, and hints of baking spice from the 10% kiss of new oak. Out of the last three vintages I’ve tasted, this is the lushest of the bunch, and I’m here for it because the medium-plus-bodied palate is kept in check by coursing acidity and verve. Imagine a hybrid between a hedonistic Chambolle-Musigny and top-dollar, cool-vintage Central Otago and you’re in the realm of today’s delicious Pinot Noir. Enjoy now in large Burgundy stems and stash away your others for consumption over the next 2-5 years to experience even more savory textures and nuanced complexities. Cheers!

Easkoot, “Chileno Valley Vineyard” Pinot Noir
Country
Region
Sub-Region
Soil
Farming
Blend
Alcohol
OAK
TEMP.
Glassware
Drinking
Decanting

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

Others We Love