Bergström Winery Pinot Noir “Silice”
WHY WE LOVE IT
- The Silice Vineyard is a 21 acre biodynamically farmed estate vineyard which lies on top of Calkins Lane in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, contiguous to the winery building and the Winery Block vineyard.
- The deep marine sedimentary sands here are bright and reflective, so vines need to work hard to plunge their roots deep into the ancient sandstone in search of water and nutrients. The resulting wines are highly perfumed, spiced and structured for ageing.
Varietal Composition: 100% Pinot Noir
Elaboration: A blend of whole cluster and destemmed fruit fermented and aged for 12 months in 10% new French oak barrels.
Tasting Notes: Dark ruby red in color with violet reflections in the glass, the Silice Pinot Noir has a wild aromatic bouquet that leaps from the glass. Boysenberry and dark cherry fruit mingles with sassafras, cinnamon graham crackers, anise, dried herbs, smoked game, tobacco and leather. This wine is distinctly old world in character with great earthiness, mushroom, meat and tobacco flavors, yet retains a bright core of fresh fruit, spice and flowers with succulent acidity and plentiful fine-grained tannins.
PRESS
2016 – 90 Wine Enthusiast | 92 Vinous | 93 Wine Advocate
2017 – 91 Wine & Spirits | 93 James Suckling | 93+ Wine Advocate
2018 – 92+ Wine Advocate | 93 Wine Spectator | 94 James Suckling
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
The Bergström family business traces its roots to John Bergström’s Swedish heritage and the love he developed for the Pacific Northwest. John grew up in a small agricultural and logging village in northern Sweden. As a young teenager, he set out by himself for Oregon, eager to follow the American dream of creating a life better than the one he knew as a child. Ultimately, he became a surgeon, created a successful medical practice and raised five children in his new homeland. After many years, John decided to return to his agricultural roots and pursue his dream of winegrowing, eventually founding Bergström Winery.
In 1999, Josh Bergström, the fourth of five children, returned home to Dundee from a postgraduate program in Viticulture and Enology in the Burgundy region of France. With him, he brought his fiancée Caroline, and the two were married that fall in the Bergström Vineyard. Bergström Wines was also born that fall as the young couple harvested their first vintage of Pinot Noir from high-quality fruit purchased at a neighboring winery. Currently, Josh is general manager, winemaker and vineyard manager at Bergström Wines, and Caroline manages the sales team.
Bergström Wines consists of five estate vineyards totaling 84 acres that span across four of the Willamette Valley’s best appellations: The Bergström Vineyard, Silice Vineyard, Winery Block, Gregory Ranch and Le Pré du Col. Each estate vineyard is farmed without the use of harsh chemicals, systemic or fertilizers.