Bottled in June, Le Cadeau’s 2011 Pinot Noir Equinoxe – vinified by Jim Sanders – offers intriguing notes of moss and lichen on wet stone, as well as a darker berry fruit personality that I’m coming to view as a typical expression of this parcel at the exposed crest of the estate. Caramel and smoke notes from barrel do not affect the firmness or brightness that are fundamental features of this Pinot, but there is just a hint of drying to the finish that I hope and suspect is a function of the wine’s having at the time I tasted it so recently been bottled. I suspect that it will perform well through 2020, if not beyond. “We spent around $25,000 dollars extra on farming,” relates proprietor Tom Mortimer of the 2011 vintage, specifically due to “l(fā)arge clusters that necessitated us dropping to one cluster per shoot. And as soon as there was anything to cut off, we got rid of all the shoulders. And then – since we still had more than we wanted in these very cool conditions – we went in and did individual cluster surgery, taking off ears and tails. We farmed the heck out of the vineyards,” he concludes, Aand were then super-cautious with vinification and in choice of barrels (for eventual assemblage), bottling only very small volumes: 75-150 cases of our top-tier cuvees. (In addition to Mortimer’s further collaboration with Jim Sanders under the Aubichon label that serves as an outlet for lesser Le Cadeau barrels, the two also release wines under the name “Jolete” that involves fruit from both of those other projects. Notes on recent releases will be found in this report under the name of each label.) Given this incredibly rocky site’s high elevation, it’s perhaps unsurprising, once the exceptional circumstances of this vintage are granted, that picking here continued into the first week of November. For much more about this amazing vineyard high up on Parrett Mountain; its diverse blocks; and its vinification by multiple winemakers, please consult Issue 202. (The Cote Est and Rocheux bottlings are labeled “Oregon” but not “Willamette Valley” due to restrictions imposed by their being raised in California winemakers’ facilities.) Tel. (503) 625-2777