Beaux Freres

A famed Oregon estate located in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, Beaux Freres was founded by Michael Etzel more than twenty years ago. While on vacation in 1986 Michael came across an 88 acre pig farm. After some consideration he decided to purchase the land with his brother in law, Robert Parker, and the rest became history. Michael focused on his job as vineyard manager by planting Pinot Noir in the Ribbon Ridge AVA and while planting his vineyard, he interned at Ponzi Winery. In 1990, Michael harvested his first crop and sold the grapes winemakers Ken Wright and Dick Ponzi. Michael decided there was something special with his vineyard and began making focused, mineral-driven Pinot Noirs from this special site. The wines were reviewed with incredible acclaim. These wines from 2002 and 2005 in particular stand out to me as truly some of the great wines ever made in Oregon. Recently his son, Mike Etzel, has taken over as head winemaker. While the winemaking style has slightly changed, the wines remain highly poised and show tremendous texture and finesse.

Mike’s new release Pinot Noirs come from the warm 2016 vintage in Oregon. They were all tremendous across the board. I was amazed by the 2016 Beaux Freres ‘Gran Moraine’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 95) which is one of the best Oregon wines that I have sampled in the last year. The wine shows insanely good range and minerality. While it is delicious now it has a long life left in the cellar. Look to the 2016 Beaux Freres ‘The Beaux Freres Vineyard’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 95) which is just as good and showcases its marvelous silky texture and bright minerality. It is a seriously sexy new Pinot Noir. Learn more about this great historic Oregon estate at https://www.beauxfreres.com/ Here are the fantastic new release wines by Beaux Freres.

2016 Beaux Frères ‘Gran Moraine’ Pinot Noir- The 2016 Beaux Freres ‘Gran Moraine’ Pinot Noir is a stunning new wine. The wine is sourced from the Yamhill Carlton AVA and starts with bright strawberry puree, red currant jelly and peat moss that fill the nose. The palate shows wonderful freshness and good tension with Earl Grey tea, white pepper, red currant and red cherry candy. The range and texture is wonderful. Enjoy this over the next ten to fifteen years Drink 2018-2030- 95

2016 Beaux Frères ‘Zena Crown’ Pinot Noir- The esteemed Zena Crown vineyard is located in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA and is set on volcanic soils. The nose shows wonderful volcanic terroir with dark currant and black tea with nutmeg aromas. The mouthfeel is fantastic here which shows great richness and tension. Black tea, wild blackberry, Mandarin orange rind and peat moss flavors all impress. This is a simply stunning effort by Beaux Freres. Drink 2018-2033- 95

2016 Beaux Frères ‘Guadalupe’ Pinot Noir- This great Pinot Noir by Beaux Freres is sourced from the Guadalupe Vineyard, planted by Ken Wright in the 1980s. The nose shows earthy terroir with wild mushroom, peat moss and red cherry preserves. The palate is fresh and lithe showing red currant, orange zest and peat moss flavors. Earthy and lithe, this is a wonderful effort that shows great terroir and poise from this warm vintage. Drink 2018-2030- 94

2016 Beaux Frères ‘The Beaux Frères Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2016 Beaux Freres ‘The Beaux Freres Vineyard’ Pinot Noir is a simply marvelous new effort from this storied estate. The Ribbon Ridge AVA wine shows wonderful earthy terroir on the nose. This shows a wonderful combination of red and dark fruits on the nose with Asian spice and forest floor aromatics. The palate shows good richness and tension with red currant, red cherry candy, strawberry puree and orange rind flavors with a touch of peat moss. Rich and focused, this will cellar well for the next fifteen years. Drink 2018-2033- 95

2015 Sequitur ‘Ribbon Ridge AVA’ Pinot Noir- This is a project winery by Beaux Freres founder Michael Etzel. The wine is entirely sourced from the Sequiter Vineyard, located in the Ribbon Ridge AVA and planted to 17 different clones of Pinot Noir. The wine shows bright strawberyr, red currant jelly and red cherry candy with earthy terroir on the nose. The palate shows wonderful freshness with a strong citrus rind component complementing the red fruits. The near minute long finish lingers. Drink 2018-2033- 94