McKinlay winemaker Matt Kinne’s Pinots are always so elegant, so effortlessly balanced, so sneakily Burgundian. Thanks to organic viticulture, low yields, native yeast fermentation, and minimal intervention, McKinlay’s 2018 Willamette Valley offering is the season’s most deliciously spicy and wonderfully affordable Pinot Noir. The wine opens with a transparent pale garnet hue and beautifully pure and classic Willamette Valley Pinot aromas of black cherries, earthy cranberries, rose petals, and sweet cinnamon. Suave and lively on the palate, crunchy red raspberry and tart cherry fruit notes are complicated by juicy, balancing acidity, savory tannins, and a hint of cinnamon-scented potpourri. The wine finishes long, clean, and lingering, reprising notes of sweet cherries, red raspberries, and smoky terroir. Bright and precocious, McKinlay’s 2018 drinks exceptionally well now, but the wine’s impeccable balance bodes well for three to five years’ ageing in your cool cellar. Enjoy this pure, authentic, soil-driven, and affordable Willamette Valley Pinot with broiled salmon, roast chicken, grilled vegetables, seared duck breasts, and burgers hot off the grill.
