Dewey Kelly Pinot Noir 2007

Dewey Kelly is a small family operation on Ribbon ridge located in Yamhill county OR.  Dewey and his wife Robin purchased the property, but got caught up in other things (life) and didn't begin planting until 2000.  At this time they have 9 acres planted and sell most of their grapes on to other wineries.  They keep some of the best for themselves however, primarily from the 2.5 acre "wedding block", the location they were married in at the top of the vineyard.  The soil here is shallower, drainage better, and a bit more exposed to the sun.  All of this results in exceptional grapes.  Dewey made 400 cases of this vintage.

This is a more old school Pinot to me.  Dewey's wine making methods result in a darker, more complex, tightly wound Pinot than the prevailing style in Oregon.  This Pinot has a really pretty inviting, almost delicate perfumed aroma once it opens up and I pick up some floral qualities, but the aroma also has some pronounced smoke and woodsiness to it.  Underneath the pretty floral and delicious ripe raspberry there's hints of roasted meat and what I can only call deep dark forest floor. 

The palate fulfills the promise of the aroma here with bright acidity right at first, underpinning fresh berry fruit, but then more dry earth and tannin coming in on the finish.  It's very well polished and these very different flavors are well integrated and cooperative.  The texture is smooth and refined, but oooh I love this dark slightly rustic tasting finish!  It was great with the stuffed pork roast I picked up for dinner; Thanks Provisions!

I'm not going to call this "Burgundian" in style because I feel it would be an insult to the unique character of this wine and Dewey Kelly's vineyard and terroir.  But this is a darker, deeper, Pinot than what I think of as a typical OR style.  It's polished, but it also doesn't just leap out of the glass with ripe cherries; it's got more subtlety than that. 

I don't know if that made any sense, but bottom line this is a very well made, deep pinot with character that's hand made and retails for under $25.  That's a steal.  You can pick this up at: Vic and Whit's in Saco, Freeport Cheese and Wine Shop, Lily Lupine and Fern, The Black Sheep Wine Shop, Provisions, and Tess's Market.