We began our tasting journey last Friday afternoon with the beautiful Oregon Pinots by Holocene. “I am going for highly aromatic wines that are built by finesse” said winemaker Todd Alexander. He shared how his winemaking philosophy for making Oregon Pinot Noir evolved “I think the first Holocene wines were more powerful but they were too ripe and too dark and whole cluster helped with that. In 2018 I changed my philosophy with the wines making them more elegant” he explained.
Holocene is of course the brainchild of superstar winemaker Todd Alexander who was formerly with Bryant Family before taking over as winemaker at Force Majeure. Todd had a yearning to do something very different and produce Oregon Pinot Noir from diverse sites in the Willamette Valley. This winery was launched in 2015 and the new releases come from the 2022 vintage — one where cool temperatures meant for a very late harvest. This was also a vintage where a freeze would have been a disaster. So far I have been really impressed with what has been made from 2022 in the Willamette Valley.
The new Pinot Noirs come from diverse regions and soil types. I adored the new 2022 Holocene ‘Memoralis’ Pinot Noir (OB, 96) which somehow is even better than last year’s edition and is one of the finest Oregon Pinots that I have tasted in the past year. Deep, heady and filled with aging potential, I think you are going to love this wine. Learn more about this awesome Oregon outpost at http://holocenewines.com Here are the beautiful new 2021 release wines by Holocene.
2022 Holocene ‘Memorialis’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 Holocene ‘Memorialis’ Pinot Noir comes from the Monks Gate Vineyard in the southern end of the Willamette Valley. Todd Alexander has been made since the 2015 vintage. A blend of Pommard, 777 and 115 Dijon clonal selection Pinot Noir, this was stored in 15% new French oak before bottling. The nose is downright killer with wild blackberry, tobacco leaf and orange blossom notes. The palate is plush and dense with heady black and red fruit flavors. Very mineral-laden, this is dense and delicious Oregon Pinot Noir that is built to age. Drink 2024-2038- 96
2022 Holocene ‘Sidereal’ Pinot Noir- This is a new wine to the Holocene collection, coming from the Ribbon Ridge Vineyard. Stored in 15% new French oak, this underwent 100% whole cluster fermentation. This is very pretty aromatically with red rose petals and potpourri alongside Bing cherry and loganberry notes. The palate is soft and refined with serious texture. Layers of tart red fruits combine with citrus rind and stony minerals on the palate. Drink 2024-2034- 95