Lange Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir is consistently one of the house’s highest-scoring wines, and it also makes good sense that this particular wine gets a little extra love in the field and cellar, now that the grapes come exclusively from Lange’s great pride: the three exceptional Estate fields, Legacy, Mia and Redside, which lie in the northern part of the Dundee Hills. The oldest sticks are approaching 35 years old and for the geeks we can inform you that the clones are Pommard and Wädenswil. The wine is aged in French oak, both new and neutral. Year 2018 was also an excellent year in the Willamette Valley, where sun, rain and temperature came together in a higher unity.
94 Points | James Suckling
This is so attractive and fresh with dark cherries, crushed blueberries, hints of violets, dried pomegranate skins and crushed stones. Delicate and silky on the palate with polished, refined tannins and pure red and blue fruit character, seasoned with some spicy herbs. Textured and lingering. Drink or hold.
Colour: Ruby red.
Nose: Packed with blueberries and tart cherries, cocoa and a hint of violet.
Tasting notes: Silky soft tannins – and overall mouthfeel. Big, juicy fruit that embraces a light barrel spice. Really nice glass that can withstand half an hour in a carafe!
Serving suggestion: Enjoy it slightly chilled, e.g. with poultry or as a glass, which can really throw a little luxury over the Wednesday lasagna.
Don and Wendy Lange founded Lange Winery in 1987 in the heart of Dundee Hills, Oregon. It has always been Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, which was the core of Lange, and particularly within Pinot Gris, Lange is considered a pioneer; they made America’s first barrel-fermented Pinot Gris – a genuine “benchmark bottling” in American wine history, according to Wine Spectator. Since then, however, they have not rested on their laurels, but developed into one of Oregon’s finest wineries.
At Lange Winery, there are 3 things in focus: “balance, structure and texture”. These three qualities have been the ideal for the wines since the first vintage in 1987 – and the 3 words have been imprinted on Jesse Lang as a mantra ever since he was very small and earned his pocket money by pulling up weeds in the fields. Jesse is today head winemaker, but husband still has a hand on the helm and the duo Jesse and Don have together led Lange Winery into a golden age, where the wines are not only better than ever, but also more sustainable. The more than 60 acres of vines count three “estate vineyards”, which have the highest certification within sustainable viticulture in the USA (Low Input Viticulture and Enology), the Salmon Safe certification – and then Lange bottles in ECO Series glass bottles.
What’s with that fly?
Besides wine, Don Lange has another passion: nature and fly fishing. When he’s not in the vineyard, he can be found in Oregon’s canyons or rushing rivers with a fishing rod in hand. That is why the fly is chosen as the motif on the labels; a small homage to the incredible nature that inspires the work in the field.
