We’re lucky enough to have two additional wines from Benza Vineyards in for review which did not make it into the our earlier article (see that here). They are both Pinot Noir. One is their signature wine and one is a blend made with grapes from three different acclaimed vineyards from three Willamette Valley AVAs, sort of an all star of Willamette wine. Sounds exciting, so let’s see what we found in the bottles:
2019 Symphony Pinot Noir – this is the blend, a symphony if you will, made with grapes sourced from three different pre-eminent vineyards outside the Benza estate. They are: Vidon in the Chehalem Mountains, Timble & Thyme in Yamhill-Carlton and Bellevue Cross in McMinnville. The Pommard clone makes up the bulk of this. What did we think?
The wine is medium red toward garnet in color and transparent. The nose is all fruit, with cherry and berry notes. You get more of that on the palate, with a cherry candy core. It’s certainly not one note though, as there are nuances of earth and herbs. It’s medium bodied, finishes super long and has great acid. I’d say this has an edge, and a good one at that. It will pair wonderfully with food, and anything from roast chicken to spicy Asian should work. That acid edge will let it stand up to a wide range of dishes. This is juicy and delicious. $42 retail, less for club members who can get up to 20% off by the case. Good value.
2018 Three Tuxedos Reserve Pinot Noir – this is the flagship wine from Benza Vineyards. All five of the Pinot Noir clones in the estate vineyards are represented here, and only the very best barrels are selected for this wine. It is aged in 40% new French Oak. The 2018 vintage in the Willamette produced dense and rich wines. Let’s take a look:
As this is the top wine from Benza we were expecting great things, and were not disappointed. The juice is ruby trending towards garnet red. The nose is resplendent with red and black fruit, although more toward the red side. We got cherry, raspberry and currant as well as orange peel, vanilla, leather, oak and the traditional earthiness that frequently results in the comparison of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir to red Burgundy. This is seriously complex. It is just full bodied now, with medium tannins. There is a great energy to the wine, and the acid is very present which balances out the wine beautifully. It is rich and lively at the same time. Overall the 2018 Three Tuxedos is one pretty fabulous Pinot Noir. Priced at the winery at $68, less for club members, it is very much worth it, and compares favorably with the aforementioned red Burgundy. You’d expect to pay a lot more for Burgundy at a similar quality level. Highly recommended.
So two more wines from Benza and both are clearly worth your consideration. The Symphony is delicious. The Three Tuxedos is simply outstanding, and after we tried it we went back and ordered some for our cellar. Of course we also bought more of the excellent Pinot Gris we covered in the initial review!
We look forward to future vintages, and to watching Benza Vineyards evolve going forward. Their first onsite crush and processing will be this year, so exciting times. You can learn more about Benza Vineyards, their wine and the wine club at https://www.benza.com/.
A votre santé!
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