Westrey Pinot Noir 2008

As an avid follower of Central Bottle (ha ha ha) you know we rarely put an American winery and American winemakers up for mention, let alone our Friday Pick! BUT, we've found a noteworthy exception. Westrey has given us everything we wanted - low yield, indigenous yeast, little intervention, responsible use of oak barrels and lots of attention to the vineyard. Oh, and unfined and unfiltered too! OH MY! We can hardly breath.

All of this good stuff translates to the bottle as well. It is still American, so it has some concentrated raspberry and blueberry notes and a teeny tiny hint of earth, but it has a nice mid-weight (like it should) and it has great minerality running through the wine and into the finish. The acidity is well balanced and it offers a touch of spice (from the stems they claim) in the end. Dare we say it, Burgundian if you will. 

Here's a bit of technical info from Amy and David:
Westrey’s first estate vineyard, Oracle (above) is located in the Dundee Hills AVA, just north of Abbey Ridge Vineyard. Situated at average elevation of 650 feet, the rows face due south on predominantly Jory soil, with a narrow streak of Nekia running through the property. The 2008 blend consists of 16% 31-year-old Pommard clone Pinot Noir (own-rooted), 65% Dijon clone 777 on Riparia rootstock (15% whole cluster) and 19% Dijon clone 115, also on Riparia. With our 2001 planting in full production, coupled with the strong return of the old vine block, Oracle is now firmly entrenched in our winery. All lots were fermented with indigenous yeast in open-top 1,500-liter fermentors. Bottled unfined and unfiltered in September of 2009. 600 cases.

You go Amy + David. 

Westrey Pinot Noir 2008  $29 a bottle

meet the winemaker

Amy Wesselman + David Autrey
Yeah.. they're married and those are their cute twin boys, Soren and Leo. This duo is, indeed, responsible for the delicious Westrey Pinot Noir.  Westrey is not only a conceptual combining of ideas, talents and resources it is also literally the combining of Amy and David's last names - Wesselman + Autrey = Westrey.  

Westrey was founded in 1993 by Amy and David, along with David’s father, Robert Autrey, in Oregon’s burgeoning Willamette Valley. Their focus is on crafting elegant Pinot Noir wines, fruit-driven Burgundian-style Chardonnay and crisp, refreshing Pinot Gris. The wines are designed to be balanced and ageworthy, always complementing and enlivening the food with which they are served.

Sourcing fruit both from well-respected vineyards owned by notable friends in the Willamette Valley and from their own Oracle vineyard in the Dundee Hills AVA, Amy and David use these various puzzle pieces of fruit to build complexity into their wines. Vineyard-designated bottlings are designed to showcase the connection between the individual farms where the grapes are grown and the final personality of the wine.

Amy and David strive to grow their grapes and make their wines using a sustainable approach. The vineyard is LIVE certified, a credential that is earned by taking into account not only organic approaches to farming but also by considering the inputs and outputs of the farm as a whole. Through their commitment to the program Amy and David help to provide health care to vineyard workers who are otherwise uninsurable.

This little mom + pop winery currently produces approximately 5,000 cases annually. Westrey wines are distributed in only nine states! Aren't we lucky?!