Cardwell Hill Cellars 2019 Pommard Block Pinot Noir
If Dijon brings perfume and Wädenswil brings lift, Pommard brings the body. It is the oldest and most structural of the four clones on this estate, and the Pommard Block is where that weight gets to speak alone. The distributor note for the label puts it plainly: smooth and supple, with a firm feel to the berry, and smoky flavors that glide into a gentle finish.
The clone has the best Wine Spectator track record of anything the estate makes. Wine Spectator awarded 93 points to the 2009 Pommard Block, and the 2013 Pommard Block earned one of the estate's 21 Platinum awards.
Tasting notes, 2019 at seven years
- Colour: medium ruby, just starting to garnet at the edge
- Nose: black cherry and plum skin, cola, sweet pipe smoke, loamy earth
- Palate: the fullest bodied of the single block wines, dark fruited and firm, with a smoky mid palate and fine grained tannin now integrated
- Finish: gentle, long, savory
- Drink: now through roughly 2031. This is the longest cellaring clone in the lineup.
- Serve: 60 to 64°F, decant 45 minutes, large Burgundy bowl
2019 was a cool, rain challenged Willamette vintage that rewarded careful farming with lower alcohols and bright acidity, which suits Pommard's natural density. The reference point from the same harvest: the 2019 Estate Reserve was the highest scoring Pinot Noir among the four Platinums the winery won that year, rated Platinum and 95 points, at 13.3% alcohol and 210 cases.
Why single block matters here
Cardwell Hill is a family owned Oregon boutique winery producing over 5,000 cases per year, using sustainable agriculture to achieve premium fruit. The single block bottlings are small cuts out of that already small total, which is why older vintages disappear quietly rather than getting marked down.
Credentials, for context: the 2021 Oregon Winery of the Year, and Wine Spectator scores ranging from 89 to 93 across vintages.
Perfect with
Beef, veal, poultry and game such as deer and venison. Also short ribs, duck confit, mushroom and beef ragù, smoked brisket, aged cheddar.
