2016 Insieme Pinot Noir Cuvée - Formaglini Vineyards

Tart bing cherry, fresh pine, pomegranate juice. Spiced strawberry, crushed coriander seed, cranberry cocktail. Bright lavender and wildflowers, evergreen tree and mint leaf. Soft vibrant fruit blushes with lifted energy, graciously spilling red plum, raspberry preserve, and blood orange with delicious juiciness. Violet and perfumed florals emerge and inject beautiful aromatics bolstered further by clean forest tones and allspice. Notes of iron, turned loam, and earthy spices sing of soil while a light dusting of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg add supplemental charm. Fresh, forward, and refreshing while remaining remarkably interesting and complex; medium in body with mild tannin and elevated acidity. This 2016 "Insieme" Pinot Noir Cuvée by Formaglini Vineyards is a delightful and wonderfully unique single vineyard blend from the Willamette Valley.

Sometimes happy accidents result in outstanding wines. This bottling, crafted by Formaglini Vineyards using 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Lagrein sourced from their estate in the Chehalem Mountains, first came into being through one of those instances. A few years ago at harvest owner David de Lancellotti realized his small parcel of Lagrein had not produced enough fruit to bottle on its own, so he chose to co-ferment the grapes with some of his estate's later-ripening clone 828 Pinot Noir. The result was a bright, juicy, delicious red that instantly became a crowd favorite, and has been brought back in small quantities every year ever since. This wine marries tremendous drinkability and balance with complexity and lift, and is as impressive as it is unique. A wonderful micro-production offering by Formaglini that is unlike anything else we've experienced.