The 2021 Pinot Noir X Novo Vineyard has pure scents of raspberries strawberries tea leaves dried flowers and botanical undertones that add a lot of complexity to the aromatic profile. The light-bodied palate is silky and mouthwatering with highly detailed floral fruit and a long flinty finish. It drinks beautifully now yet will age gracefully over the next 10-15 years. Published: Oct 19 2023

Taking on a darker ruby hue the 2021 Pinot Noir X Novo Vineyard moves into a bit darker profile with notes of violets black raspberry liqueur and clove spice. Medium to full-bodied with ripe tannins it has broader shoulders but remains focused with notes of turned mossy earth and a fresh undercurrent of acidity while its fruit lasts long on the palate. I like it now but it might be too angular for some at this stage. Give it another few years in bottle and drink 2026-2036. Walter Scott was founded in 2008 by Erica Landon and her husband Ken Pahlow. Their first vintage was produced in 2009 out of Patricia Green Cellars then at Evening Land where Ken worked alongside Dominique Lafon. This clearly had an influence on the wines of Walter Scott where they began producing Chardonnay in 2011. The next year they moved to their current winery space which is located in front of the Justice Vineyard of the Eola-Amity Hills. They continue to raise the bar across their portfolio and are producing exceptional wines with purity and balance. The wines for this report were tasted at the winery with Ken and his family and they do not disappoint in the slightest. These are no-question Burgundian-inspired wines with a reductive style though for my taste they are some of the best wines pushing the bar higher and higher in the Eola-Amity Hills.