The Bethel Heights 2009 Pinot Noir Casteel Reserve exhibits alkaline, resinous, black tea- and bacon-smoky and faintly fishbowl-like scents but also intimates in the nose the fresh and distilled black fruits that emerge on the palate. This has the richness and complexity without the energy or lift of the best Bethel Heights Pinots I’ve been having the pleasure of tasting.
Ben Casteel returned home in 2005 from a stage in Burgundy and a five year stint at Rex Hill to work a crush alongside his father and founding winemaker Terry; after which, he took over that job. Cousin Mimi Casteel – whose background is horticulture and forest ecology – acts as both general manager and viticulturalist. This site northwest of Salem, whose oldest block dates to the Casteels’ original 1977 and 1979 plantings, is known for consistently delivering fine Pinots, although the Casteels also source somewhat beyond its bounds and are serious about white grapes – theirs and those of neighbors – as well, even if with mixed success. The team here is beginning to favor a certain percentage of whole clusters and stems in Pinot depending on vintage, though fermentation is usually still induced by inoculation.
Tel. (503) 581-2262
粵公網(wǎng)安備 44030502006249號