The founder's private vineyard, made by the winery that made him famous. 17 clones, biodynamic, dry farmed. 97 points.

This is the most interesting bottle in the Beaux Frères lineup, because it comes from land the estate does not own.

The backstory is pure Oregon legend. The Beaux Frères story began in 1986 when Michael G. Etzel, a wine salesman in Colorado Springs, set off on a road trip to Oregon with his young family after reading a review of an '83 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, took a whimsical detour to explore a foreclosed 88 acre pig farm, and wondered whether a quiet farm life might be possible. The dream took shape with an investment from Michael's sister Pat and her husband, wine critic Robert Parker Jr., and the name Beaux Frères refers to the French idiom for "brothers in law."

Sequitur is what Etzel did next, for himself. In 2010 he established Sequitur Vineyard with his partner Carey Critchlow, a 12 acre jewel bordering Beaux Frères' Upper Terrace. The adjacent Sequitur project operates as a separate ownership, independent of Artémis, which is the striking part: when Beaux Frères bottles this wine, it is buying fruit from its own founder's private site.

Why the vineyard is special

• Clonal complexity on an unusual scale. The site is planted to 17 diverse clones of Pinot Noir, and earlier accounts describe a blend of 15 clones including the Coury "clone" and California heritage selections such as Calera, Mt. Eden and Martin Ray, grown biodynamically on never farmed soil in Ribbon Ridge.
• Virgin ground. Never farmed before Etzel planted it, which is rare in a region this established.
• A natural amphitheater. The site is enclosed by a dense forest of Douglas fir, offering natural protection that preserves its distinct microclimate.
• Dry farmed and biodynamic, in the Ribbon Ridge AVA.
• Young but serious vines, planted in 2012 by Carey Critchlow and Michael Etzel.

Ribbon Ridge itself is the smallest AVA within the Willamette Valley, yet home to some of Oregon's most prestigious wineries and vineyards.

Tasting notes, 2023: A bold but balanced wine that's pure, concentrated and potent but lively, structured and alive in raspberries, red cherries, black cherries, cloves, pine and moss, with moderate to full tannins and great acidity.

Owen Bargreen was more direct, calling it dense, heady and loaded with salty minerality, and noting he was amazed how well it was performing right now, already complex and exceedingly delicious in its heady youth.

• Colour: deep ruby, youthfully saturated
• Nose: raspberry and red cherry over clove, crushed pine and damp forest floor, with red floral lift
• Palate: concentrated and powerful but never heavy, with a saline, mineral spine that is the signature of this site
• Finish: long, savory, firmly structured
• Drink: approachable now with air, and built for 15 years
• Serve: 60 to 64°F, decant an hour, large Burgundy bowl

Scores

• 97 points, Owen Bargreen
• 95 points, Wine Spectator, which places it among the top five Ribbon Ridge wines
• 93 out of 100 aggregate across 14 critic reviews