1994 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard

The darkest-colored wines of the four offerings from St. Innocent are the Seven Springs Vineyard and Freedom Hill Vineyard. The 1994 Freedom Hill Pinot Noir offers a saturated, dark ruby/purple color, followed by a tight but promising nose of sweet, jammy black-cherries, earth, vanilla, and spice. Exceptionally concentrated and dense, with an underlying mineral and terroir component, this wine is reminiscent of a grand cru from the northern Cote de Nuits (Clos de la Roche). Although it will be the last of these wines to reach full maturity, it will last more than a decade without any loss of fruit. This is a prodigious example of Pinot Noir from the 1994 vintage. Winemaker/proprietor Mark Volossak has turned in four superlative efforts in 1994. Only the Temperance Hill and O'Connor Vineyard have been released. The Seven Springs and Freedom Hill will be released in September. They are all gorgeously constructed Pinot Noirs with slight personality variations. Kudos to St. Innocent, which has had an enviable track record over the last few years. Tel. (503) 378-1526