Beaux Frères Pinot Noir - #9 Wine Spectator!

#9 TOP WINES OF 2020 – WINE SPECTATOR

“Beaux Frères is one of our favorite Oregon producers, and the Beaux Frères Vineyard on Ribbon Ridge has been one of my top recommendations for years. But the 95 point 2018 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir Beaux Frères Vineyard Ribbon Ridge just knocks it out of the park and was named the #9 wine of 2020 by Wine Spectator. If you are looking for great Pinot Noir from a top producer, with great accolades, this is it! Tim Fish of Wine Spectator calls it a ‘wine of presence and expression, impeccably structured yet elegantly layered.’ Stock up so that you can enjoy it now and for many years to come!” – Glen Knight, The Wine House

Check out our CLOSEOUT wines on our website! Quantities are limited to current stock and new closeout wines are added regularly!

NOTE: The Wine House is not open for walk-in customers. We offer curbside pickup between 11AM and 6PM. Please see below for UPDATED curbside pickup instructions and contact us before coming to the store. Please let us know if you have multiple orders to consolidate.

CHAT! If you see a chat bubble in the lower right corner on our website, a Wine House employee is ready to answer your questions. Please note that chat is only available between 11AM and 6PM, and the bubble only displays when an employee is available. Chat agents can answer many questions, but cannot process orders.

LOCAL DELIVERY! For orders over $250, we now offer Special Local Delivery
Monday - Friday to addresses up to 10 miles from the store for $8/case. Additional delivery options are also available on our website.

95 Points: #9 Top 100 Wines of 2020: A wine of presence and expression, impeccably structured yet elegantly layered, with evocative raspberry, rose petal and brown baking spice notes that pick up richness and tension toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2029.” – Tim Fish, Wine Spectator (June 2020)

94+ Points: “The medium ruby-purple colored 2018 Pinot Noir The Beaux Frères Vineyard opens to lush rhubarb, cranberries and loamy earth with layers of blood orange, tea leaves, charcuterie and flowers. The medium-bodied palate offers broody, concentrated fruits with fine earth and spice accents, with a seamless, silky frame and lifted finish. Drink date: 2021 – 2028.” – Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (December 2020)

FROM THE WINERY

THE BEAUX FRÈRES VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2018

Beaux Frères’ iconic vineyard is located on an 88-acre farm atop Ribbon Ridge, the most prestigious terroir in Willamette Valley. Tall and stately Douglas fir trees cover nearly 50 acres of the farm, with homestead and winery buildings occupying another 8 acres.

GRAPE VARIETY: 100% Pinot Noir
VINEYARD: Beaux Frères Vineyard
VINEYARD LOCATION: Ribbon Ridge
VINEYARD SIZE: 26 acres
EXPOSURE: Southeast, south and southwest facing hillsides
TYPE OF SOILS: Willakenzie soils

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
HARVEST: September 10th to September 28th
VINIFICATION: Primary fermentation in small vats for 18 to 20 days, with some of this fruit being fermented using whole clusters.
MATURING: 11 months in French oak barrels, 45% new.
AGING POTENTIAL: 10+ years
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 13.7%

TASTING NOTES:
Aromatics of potpourri, candied cherry, Asian spice and incense lift elegantly from the glass. A silky entry point on the palate leads to notions of pure blue and red fruits, fresh fennel, and juicy cranberry, all supporting a depth of connected and composed tannins that deliver a remarkably mouthwatering finish. There is a complex level of tension at its core, indicating a nearly timeless potential for cellaring.

Biodynamic and organic practices since 2002.

WINEMAKING TECHNIQUE
HANDLING: Our technique is characterized by minimal handling. Fermentation is allowed to occur spontaneously, relying on “wild” indigenous yeast, and tended to the old-fashioned way with punch downs and pump overs by hand throughout the day (and night).

PRESSING: We empty the tank into our press and the new wine is then moved into French oak barrels. The proportion of new barrels vs. neutral ones varies according to the strength and concentration of the vintage, usually about 30 to 50%.

TRANSFORMATION: Secondary fermentation occurs naturally at a rather relaxed pace by comparison with the ‘norm’ in our very cool barrel cellar. We feel that a long, slow process gives greater complexity of flavor, transforming raw young wine into a thing of liquid beauty.

BARREL AGING AND REDUCTIVE WINEMAKING: We receive lots of questions about how we make wine. It’s no different than what thoughtful Burgundians have been doing for generations. Pinot Noir is fragile and needs to be protected from excessive exposure to oxygen. Hence, the winemaking style, once in barrel, is called “reductive,” meaning exposure to oxygen is intentionally reduced. We do not practice the typical racking process of transferring a wine from barrel to barrel to aerate. Our only racking occurs after 10- to 12-months, when we rack into a settling tank before bottling. This is the only time the wine is exposed to air, and even then, it is minimal in order to protect the aromatics.

Aging on lees in our cold cellar, and the fact that there is no movement of the wine (racking) until bottling, results in a buildup of CO2 – a by-product of the secondary/malolactic fermentation. This serves as a natural preservative and allows us to use far less sulphur than most wine producers. All of this is aimed at preserving the character of our terroir, the personality of the vintage, and the quality of the wine.

HOW LONG SHOULD I WAIT TO OPEN THESE WINES? Please have some patience as the potential of our wine unfolds in the years ahead. On the other hand, we’ve been known to pull corks long before it’s warranted, and the joyful, fresh stage can be lovely. In short, enjoy the unique intersection of vintage and vineyard when the time is right for you. Wines from cooler seasons require more initial patience while they blossom in the bottle (7 to 10 years or more). Wines from warmer, quicker ripening seasons are often lush at release and quick to evolve in bottle.

A NOTE ON EFFERVESCENCE: By capturing CO2 that accumulates during secondary fermentation (instead of letting it escape before the bottling process), we are able to rely largely on this naturally occurring preservative as opposed to using lots of sulfur. This is a very traditional Old World strategy that helps our wines to evolve more slowly in the bottle. All of this is aimed at preserving the character of our terroir, the personality of the vintage, and the quality of the wine. If you find it noticeable, you may opt to decant the wines to allow any perceived effervescence to escape, swirl your glass gently for a moment, or simply wait for it to recede 20 – 30 minutes after popping the cork.

UPDATED CURBSIDE PICKUP INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Place your online order.
- You will receive 2 emails. The first will acknowledge receipt of your order and the second will let you know that your order is ready for pickup.

2) Please reply to the second email to tell us you want curbside pickup. IMPORTANT: If you have multiple orders to consolidate, please let us know as we will need extra time to get those to the front of the store!
- We will prepare your order(s), move them to the front of the store and send you a confirmation email that curbside pickup is ready.

3) Pull up in front of the store. There is no need to call when you arrive at the store – just roll down your passenger window and let us know the name on the order(s).
- We will put your order(s) in your vehicle. There is no need to step out of your vehicle.

Due to the large number of phone calls we have been receiving and the time it takes to consolidate orders, please reply to the email letting you know that your wine is ready for pickup and give us time stage and consolidate your order(s). There is no need to phone the store to arrange curbside pickup.