2018 Van Duzer Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

From Vinous: "Dark garnet. Dried cherry and musky flowers on the nose, along with a peppery nuance that builds with air. Taut and juicy in style, showing good energy and tangy bite on the finish, which features a tart cranberry note and dusty, even tannins. With almost 85 acres of planted vineyards, Van Duzer is a serious player in the Willamette Valley. The wines are on a steady quality ascent under the watch of winemaker Eric Misiewicz. The property is situated at the western end of the Eola-Amity Hills, near the entrance of the wind gap that is known as the Van Duzer Corridor, an area now carries its own eponymous AVA. This region is strongly influenced by the cold coastal winds that come off the Pacific Ocean and continue east, past Salem and across the Eola-Amity Hills vineyards, having a huge and positive effect on the resulting wines. The growing season is long here because of the cool conditions, and the wines always show a firm backbone and sometimes some austerity, which makes them strong cellar candidates but also a bit of a tough read when they’re young. I found that both the 2018s and the 2019s improved quite a bit with air. They should reap benefits for the patient, and my drinking windows, and probably my scores, might look overly conservative down the road."