The Arbre Vert Vineyard, at the northern end of the Willamette Valley, is managed by Bob Grimes. Bob used to live in California and actually hired us for our first full-time, real wine jobs at Lambert Bridge Winery. To be closer to family, Bob moved to Oregon within a few years of hiring us and, liking what we were doing with Pinot Noir, began selling us.

The Arbre Vert Vineyard is just up the hill from Bob's house. This obviously allows him to carefully watch over the vineyard making certain that every little thing is done to perfection. One of our favorite things about the Arbre Vert Vineyard is the mix of old Coury Selection Pommard and grafted 115 clone Pinot Noir. We believe that we are able to blend these two differing clones together to produce a more diverse and complex wine. In 2008 the blend is 43% Pommard and 57% Clone 115.

The 2008 Arbre Vert Pinot Noir displays raspberry fruits along with hints of plums and bright, lively acidity. The finish is long and the wine is really quite pretty. It is not a blockbuster by today's standards but, rather, is a wine of balance and complexity. It is also one of our favorite wines with food, especially fish on the grill.

Cases: 175
Released: July 2010