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Roots Wine Co: Yamhill-Carlton AVA Pinot Noir ‘Crosshairs Cuvee’:

(Carefully curated notes below are taken from the Producer’s website)

Varietal Composition Pinot Noir

Location Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Oregon

Drink Now or Cellar? Enjoy now or cellar through 2030

A Few More Details from the Producer: 

Organically farmed, Roots Vineyard lies on a ridge just east of the sleepy town of Yamhill. Soils are primarily Willakenzie, which is sedimentary in origin. Throughout the heart of the vineyard is a vein of iron oxide, that lends to a deep color and rich mineral notes. AVA: Yamhill-Carlton. Established: 1999 and 2000. Elevation: 450 to 600 feet. Size: 7 acres. Clones: Dijon 113, 114, 115, and 777.  Palate Profile: The wine from this vineyard has a complex array of aromas and flavors, including black and red fruits, particularly blackberry, spice and earth.

Tasting Notes

The Roots Wine Co. Yamhill-Carlton AVA Pinot Noir ‘Crosshairs Cuvée’ is a blend with aromas of red fruit, spice, and earthy notes. On the palate, it features flavors of blackberry, black and red berries, and spice, with a balance of structured tannins.

Food Pairing

• Poultry & Game Birds
  • Duck breast with cherry, cranberry, or pomegranate glaze — complements Pinot’s red fruit and acid balance.
  • Herb-roasted chicken or Cornish hen with thyme, garlic, and rosemary.
  • Roast turkey with wild mushroom gravy — perfect for a holiday meal.
  • Seared quail or pheasant with lentils or root vegetables.
• Pork & Veal
• Pork tenderloin with apple, cherry, or fig compote.
• Pork belly glazed with balsamic or soy-maple reduction.
• Veal scaloppine with mushrooms and Marsala pan sauce.
• Vegetarian & Umami-Driven Dishes
  • Mushroom risotto or mushroom-truffle pasta.
  • Lentil stew with herbs and root vegetables.
  • Roasted beet salad with goat cheese and hazelnuts.
  • Charred cauliflower steak with olive oil and smoked paprika.

From them to you:

The Roots of It All

Born in Racine, Wisc., and raised in Idaho, Pennsylvania and Illinois, winemaker and winegrower Chris Berg didn’t always know he wanted to make wine. In fact, when he graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence with a bachelor’s in English, he wasn’t sure what his future held, as far as a career. Meanwhile his parents, Chuck and Dian Berg, had decided to relocate to Oregon from Illinois with the purchase of a manufacturing company in Tualatin, Ore. Chris soon followed and helped his parents at the plant, as well as the other reason for the big move: establishing a small vineyard.

In 1999, the Bergs planted seven acres of mostly Pinot Noir on the 20-acre property near Yamhill in the Yamhill-Carlton District of the Willamette Valley. Chuck and Dian built a small house on the vineyard, and Chris lived in Portland with his wife, Hilary, also a Jayhawk. The family’s business closed their doors in 2000, and the Bergs found themselves full-time winery folk. In 2001, Chuck and Dian moved to the sunny locale of Wickenburg, Ariz., to be near Dian’s parents. Chris and Hilary were then given the opportunity to move to the vineyard from Portland. And the rest is … in the barrels. In 2002, the Bergs picked their first harvest of a whopping three tons, which were made into 72 cases of Pinot Noir.

Today, Roots produces approximately 5,000 cases annually. Wines include the flagship estate Pinot Noir, as well as several single vineyard-designate Pinot Noirs, sourced mostly from neighboring vineyards in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Other main varietals under the Roots label include an estate Pinot Gris and Chardonnay sourced from the neighbor.

White Walnut Estate Pinot Noir:

(Carefully curated notes below are taken from the Producer’s website)

Varietal Composition Pinot Noir

Location Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Drink Now or Cellar? Enjoy now or cellar through 2029

A Few More Details from the Producer: 

Decanter (96 Points)

Jeb Dunnuck (94 Points)

James Suckling (94 Points)

International Wine Report (94 Points)

The Wine Advocate (92-94 Points)

Tasting Notes

‘Vibrant and intense, this red goes deep on red forest berries, pomegranates, blood oranges and hibiscus. Tense and succulent with a medium body, this is so juicy and fruit-driven, with plenty of citrus freshness and a dusty tannic frame. Pure, delicious and long. Drink or hold.’ – James Suckling

Food Pairing

• Poultry & Game Birds — Pinot’s Perfect Companions
  • Roast duck breast with cherry, plum, or pomegranate glaze — mirrors the Pinot’s red fruit core.
  • Herb-roasted chicken with thyme, rosemary, and garlic.
  • Turkey with cranberry compote or mushroom gravy (ideal for Thanksgiving).
  • Quail or Cornish hen with wild rice and truffle butter.
• Pork & Veal
  • Pork tenderloin with Dijon mustard and herbs.
  • Pork chops with apple, cherry, or fig compote.
  • Veal scaloppine or veal Milanese — subtle enough to let the wine’s minerality show.
• Seafood
  • Seared salmon or steelhead trout — classic Pacific Northwest pairing.
  • Tuna steak with sesame and soy glaze.
  • Black cod with miso glaze.
• Vegetarian
  • Mushroom risotto or mushroom ravioli.
  • Lentil stew with herbs and roasted vegetables.
  • Roasted beet salad with goat cheese and hazelnuts.
  • Truffle pasta or polenta with wild mushrooms.

From them to you:

White Walnut Estate is a USDA Certified Organic & Demeter Certified Biodynamic vineyard rooted in the epicenter of Oregon’s heralded Dundee Hills. Formerly a walnut orchard, the property had been unattended for several generations and was completely overgrown with bramble when Chris Mazepink purchased the site in 2013. Chris sensed the potential of the property to become one of Oregon’s premier vineyard sites—- after all, the site abuts the estate vineyards of legendary Oregon wineries Domaine Drouhin and Archery Summit.

Chris and his sons, Archer and Charles, cleared the land, by hand, in the summer of 2014 and then planted it to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 2015 and 2016. They preserved the remaining walnut trees on the property that continue to produce fruit and are now well over 70 years old, standing stoic amongst the vines. At 6.3 planted acres of vineyard, the flavors expressed in the first three harvests are remarkably complex in aroma, flavor and texture while also pulsing with energy. It’s this energy, this life force of both vine and land, that winemaker Chris Mazepink strives to cultivate in the farm, the winery and then deliver to your table.

“As you sit back and quietly observe this place… you can see 20 robins bouncing around, a flock of blue jays in the walnut trees, lady bugs throughout the farm, dragonflies overhead, barn owls patrolling the estate and countless selections of Pinot and Chardonnay all growing together in the Dundee Hills Jory soil…. you just feel and see all the forces of life out here”