Today we present the beautiful wines of Robert Brittan, former winemaker at Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa. Brittan is a former graduate of the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program and founded Brittan Vineyards in 2004, acquiring a 128-acre hillside property with soils that are a mixture of glacial deposits and volcanic material, with a predominant presence of broken basalt. There is nothing quite like this rustic, stony property in the Willamette Valley — only a few others have vines set like this.
I was first introduced to these wines more than a decade ago. The stony character that comes from the vineyard was just amazing to me. Set on broken basalt rock, the Brittan Estate Vineyard has Pinot Noir planted as well as 4 acres of Chardonnay and 1.5 acres of Syrah have been planted. In addition to his own wines, Brittan serves as the winemaker for several other brands.
The new wines are from the warm 2021 vintage. I adored the 2021 Brittan Vineyards ‘Gestalt Block’ Pinot Noir (OB, 95) which is loaded with tension and rich dark fruits. . Learn more about the great wines of Brittan Vineyards at http://www.brittanvineyards.com Here are the brilliant releases by Brittan Vineyards.
2021 Brittan Vineyards ‘Gestalt Block’ Pinot Noir- The 2021 Brittan Vineyards ‘Gestalt Block’ comes from two-acre plantings of Pinot Noir at the estate vineyard. Very dark in the glass, and deeply perfumed, this opens with aromatics of lavender and purple rose petals alongside wild blackberry, orange peel and shades of marionberry. The palate is round and generous with a silky mouthfeel and great sense of underlying verve despite the heat of the vintage. Big and bold, loaded with bright dark fruits and laden with minerals, this is an outstanding bottling, with a great stony essence coming from this site set on broken basalt. Enjoy this beautiful wine now and over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2024-2038- 95
2021 Brittan Vineyards ‘Heritage Block’ Pinot Noir- A totally gorgeous new bottling, the 2021 ‘Heritage Block’ is a 3.5 acre site on a south-western ridge of the vineyard. This site has shallow volcanic soils that are atop basalt rocks. Dazzling in terms of weight and minerality, this glides throughout the drinking experience. An unabashedly big wine for the varietal, this leads with a generous core of red and dark fruits, alongside smoldering stones, kumquat zest and tobacco leaf flavors. Seamless and elegant, with a lengthy finish and wonderful earthy nuance, enjoy this beauty over the next fifteen years. Drink 2024-2039- 96
2018 Brittan Vineyards ‘The Puncheon’ Pinot Noir- The epic 2018 ‘The Puncheon’ comes from this outstanding, warm vintage and is amongst the great Oregon Pinot Noirs I have tasted this year. This is a hand-selected puncheon by winemaker Robert Brittan from several of the blocks across the vineyard. Black truffle crudo and loganberry compote mark the nose alongside suggestions of pine needles, wet rock and fresh thyme. The palate is soft and elegant with a round and generous mouthfeel. Seriously good now, showing good length and underlying tension, watch this evolve over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2024-2040- 96