Sojeau, Eola Amity Hills, Pinot Noir, 2021

Name: Sojeau, Eola Amity Hills, Pinot Noir
Brand: Walter Scott
Price: 759.47 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2021 2022

justerini & brooks tasting note

Darker than X-Novo, with touches of pine lifting the earthy fruits – structurally this is the Nuits of the range, and it is so satisfying with it, the crisp earthy fruit leaning towards dark cherry as it fills out on the finish. Tonic, elemental, yet very fine. Being a later ripening site, this was caught in the rains at flowering, and as a result this is one of the smallest yielding, most intense Sojeau’s the Walter Scott team have seen. Fermented with 25% whole bunches. Sojeau sits at 650ft directly in front of the Van Duzer corridor. It is one of the coolest sites Ken and Erica work with, very rocky and planted to three clones; Pommard, Wadensvil and Dijon 115.

critic reviews

94+/100Eric Guido,Vinous

The 2021 Pinot Noir Sojeau Vineyard blossoms with an array of dried violets and sweet lavender complementing wild blueberries. This creates a display of contrasts: saline minerals and sour citrus complicate tart wild berry fruit depths, all enlivened by brisk acidity. Staining and incredibly long, the 2021 leaves the mouth watering for more despite its grippy tannins as rosy inner florals fade. This is spicy to the core.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2033

date of review 01/2024

95/100Erin Brooks,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Bright, deep and elegant, the 2021 Pinot Noir Sojeau Vineyard is scented of wild berries, mossy bark, cinnamon and shiitake mushroom. The light-bodied palate is silky and mouthwatering with concentrated fruit, a sheen of youthful new oak and a long, spicy finish. The wine gains detail and expression hours and days after the bottle has been opened, so give it several hours in a decanter or a few more years in the bottle.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2040

date of review 10/2023

product details

2021 is a classic vintage at Walter Scott, where husband and wife team Ken and Erica continue to turn the dial in their efforts to produce great Oregon Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. “With the exception of the heat dome that hit right around flowering time, this was a vintage that was dry and warm and relatively straightforward” Ken explained. “We started picking on August 21st and continued for 5 weeks. September was stress free, we could harvest at our leisure, plus there was no wine from the 2020s, so you had all the time you wanted AND all the space you needed in winery. Some cuvees were barrelled down before others were picked”.

The wines, as a result, have a measure of precision we’ve perhaps not seen before, with crunchy ripe fruit, fresh acids and plenty of succulence. They bear none of the hallmarks of a warm vintage, and all of the nuance and drive we’ve come to expect from this excellent outfit.

Tweaks in the winery saw all whites being crushed prior to pressing, no sulphur in the press pans, and more solids than ever before taken to tank to enhance the texture and grip of the Chardonnays.

The reds are bittersweet, perfumed and high definition, largely red fruited, with complex mineral undertones and plenty of torque and detail.

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