A Beautiful Wine

A beautiful Pinot Noir may not be your everyday red, but it's definitely there for weekends and special occasions. Pair it with anything from a salad to salmon to ham, chicken, turkey and beef, it's as versatile a wine as you could want. And over the last decade or so, some truly amazing Pinot Noir's have come from Oregon. That's why today's focus is on Evening Land.

The Evening Land has long been a symbol of the dream quest to find the mythical Greek garden where the golden fruits of immortality grew – tethered to the setting sun on the western rim of the known world – just beyond the reach of mortals.

Inspired by the myth, we began our own journey to find the "perfect vinegarden" along the coastal world in which we could grow exceptional Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Evening Land Vineyards was born in 2005 with the purchase of Occidental Vineyard on California's Sonoma Coast.  We later traveled north to acquire Seven Springs Vineyard in Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills. Finally, we crossed an ocean to begin producing wine in Burgundy.

Situated in the southeastern Eola-Amity Hills, our Seven Springs Vineyard is dry-farmed using biodynamic practices.  The Pacific Ocean breeze, volcanic soil, eastern exposure, and high elevation contribute to the natural preservation of the grapes' acidity and enrich the wines with elegant flavors and minerality.

Sixty-five acres were initially planted in the early 1980’s.  Today, Seven Springs Vineyard is a 70 acre vineyard.  The vineyard's soil consists of iron-rich, volcanic rock with a thin layer of top soil - less than 36 inches  right along the volcanic flow line.

The 2012 Pinot Noir, Eola Amity Hills rated 93 points from Wine Spectator. "Silky, expressive and minerally, this medium-weight red layers its blackberry, black cherry, tar and river stone flavors and aromatics on an open frame, lingering easily on the polished finish. Drink now through 2022."

We have a couple of other wines from Evening Land, and they are also highly-rated, exceptional Pinot Noirs.

The 2012 Pinot Noir, Seven Springs Vineyard, Eola Amity Hills is a deep garnet in color with a ruby edge. The nose is dominated with freshly picked blackberries, toasted almonds, baking spice and hints of citrus. The palate is pleasantly balanced, shows soft tannins and notes of freshly made grenadine. The finish is endless and expresses beautiful minerality, a lingering acidity, and perseverant fruit that all undeniably and characteristically come from the Seven Springs Estate. It rated 96 points from Wine Spectator.

Finally, the 2012 Pinot Noir, La Source, Seven Springs Vineyard, Eola Amity Hills scored 98 points from Wine Spectator. Their review: "Seductive, silky and supple, this red layers its gorgeous currant, plum, blueberry and spice flavors on a lithe frame, coming together harmoniously on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2022." The winemaker notes: "This wine is dark red and garnet in color with light edges. The nose has hints of baking spice, dried violets, warmed raspberries, licorice, cocoa, sweet tobacco, and burnt marshmallow. Narrow on the entry, due to its fine tannins, the wine opens up to a very elegant, well-structured palate with beautiful acidity that leads to a lasting finish." Currently, La Source is only available in Woodbridge.

Evening Land wines are created with energy, purity, transparency and elegance with insistence on true appreciation of site. Whether you're looking for a special Pinot for the weekend or for your cellar, Evening Land offers you great choices.