St Innocent Winery Pinot Noir Villages Cuvee Willamette Valley Oregon 2022

Mark Vlossak had an unusual upbringing. His father was a wine educator and importer who instilled his passion for wine in Mark at the tender age of seven years old. Mark’s mother trained under a master chef and prepared meals to accompany the wines they were tasting. Together, his parents showed him the beauty of the partnership between food and wine and how one served to elevate the other.

Mark began St. Innocent Winery in the Willamette Valley in 1988 and quickly established himself as one of the premier winemakers in the area, finding sites that had potential to produce wines with a true sense of place.

 The Villages Cuvée is produced from Pinot noir grapes grown in Oregon’s northern Willamette Valley. Fruit from three Willamette Valley Vineyards are blended to create a Pinot noir that is expressive in it’s youth. The composition for this bottling is: Shea Vineyard 39%, Freedom Hill Vineyard 32% and Temperance Hill Vineyard 29%.

Beautiful dark ruby color with aromas of dark cherries and berries, red flowers, allspice, lavender with hints of white pepper and cinnamon. Currently the floral components from Shea and sweet forest floor earth of Freedom Hill dominate the flavor profile. Its broad tannin structure is revealed as dried flowers and berries. With air, the dark fruit components emerge.