Brittan Cygnus Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Cygnus showcases enticing aromas of red plum, blood orange, brambleberry and warm spice with an underlying hint of tarragon. The rich palate confirms the nose, with red-fruit driven flavors of plum and raspberry, underscored with marionberry. The wine is seamless in the mouth, with an elegant and persistent finish that alludes to a long and graceful aging period.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Sourced from a 2008 planting of the Swan clone, rare in Oregon, the Cygnus once again stands out as the best in a stellar lineup. Layered with plum, brambly berry and streaks of wood and herb, it's a seamless and beautifully balanced wine. The juicy acidity brings lemon and tangerine into the mix, while the tannins add orange tea. Barrel aging for a year (one-third new) polishes the finish with a whiff of toasted almonds.
Cellar Selection
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Pinot Noir Cygnus Block aged 12 months in 35% new French oak. Medium ruby-purple, it is scented of crushed boysenberry and multi-berry preserves with nuances of dusty earth, blood orange, crushed stone and flowers. The medium-bodied palate is silky and intense, taking its time to unfurl. It has a grainy frame and seamless freshness on the long, bright finish. This is delicious!
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James Suckling
This is quite a powerful pinot with rich, dark-cherry aromas and a focused palate that has assertive tannins and a sharp, intense build into tangy, red-cherry flavors at the end.
Other Vintages
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
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Wine
Enthusiast
Robert Brittan left Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa after 16 years as Winemaker and Estate Manager to fulfill his dream of making Pinot Noir and Syrah from unique sites in cooler climates. His winemaking career began in his dorm room at Oregon State University, where he was a physics and philosophy major.
Being both geeky and broke, he soon realized that alcohol was an attractant to co-eds, so he began his career in fermentation sciences in order to get a date. He ultimately completed his education at UC Davis and moved to Napa Valley, where he made wines for Far Niente, Saint Andrews and Stags’ Leap Winery.
With over 40 years of experience growing grapes and making wine, he brings a significant amount of viticultural and winemaking knowledge to Brittan Vineyards. He has always had a passion for Pinot Noir, and hopes that with the fruit from the Brittan estate vineyard in the foothills of the Coastal Range, he can bring a new voice to the McMinnville AVA, and help form the style and definition of Pinot Noir from this recently designated winegrowing region.
In addition to his own wines, Robert is also the winemaker for several other brands, to include: Blakeslee, deLancellotti, Fairsing, Noble Pig, Winderlea and Youngberg Hill. As a result, Robert is now making wines from all six of the sub-AVA’s of the Willamette Valley and has learned first hand that Pinot Noir lends itself to many wonderful interpretations, depending on the soils and microclimates where it is grown.
Home of some of the planet’s most amazingly elegant and expressive Pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is a pastoral, mixed landscape of green, bucolic rolling hills, dramatic forestlands and small, independent, friendly wine growers. As a leader in environmental stewardship, the valley has some of the nation’s most protective land use policies, with two-thirds of its vineyards farmed sustainably and over half, organically. While the valley claims a cool, continental climate, and is heavily influenced by the cold, moist winds of the Pacific Ocean, its warm and dry summers allow for the steady, even ripening of Pinot noir.
The potential of Willamette Valley Pinot noir continues to attract the investment of serious growers and winemakers both locally and from abroad, as naturally the finished wines bring accolades from professionals and enthusiasts. With a range of styles from delicate dried cherry, raspberry and hibiscus to stronger notes of truffle, mocha, plum and spice, a fine Willamette Valley Pinot noir is a perfect expression of both character and grace.