2014 Andrew Rich Wines Heart’s Gate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

WineAccess Flexes Its Willamette Valley Muscles: 2014 Andrew Rich Heart’s Gate Pinot Noir

Andrew Rich is one of the most brilliant and inventive Pinot Noir makers in Willamette Valley. But unlike many of his neighbors, Rich’s ingenuity wasn’t nurtured in the Dundee Hills or Ribbon Ridge, but in the high-energy bustle of Manhattan.

At a young age, Rich became infected by the wine bug, and latched on with a national publication as a critic and reviewer. Soon after Andrew met the iconoclastic Randall Grahm, he packed up and moved to Santa Cruz, where he’d spend six years honing his winemaking skills at Bonny Doon Vineyard.

In 1994, utterly enthralled by the potential of cool-climate Willamette Valley, Andrew packed up a second time, leaving the Santa Cruz Mountains for Oregon. Initially, Rich continued to focus his attention on Rhône varieties, but by the mid-2000s, having searched out and contracted for select rows of handpicked vineyards, Rich began turning out small lots of richly textured, wild-berry Pinot Noirs that drew raves from the critics.

As we first reported after extensive barrel-tastings in July, the 2014 vintage in Willamette Valley stands shoulder to shoulder with 2008 and 2012 as the finest in recent history. But unlike 2008 and 2012 — both small-crop years — the harvest of 2014 was copious.

While the top wines are almost uniformly deep in color, fabulous juicy, and concentrated yet marvelously Burgundian in structure (acids are firmer than 2012s, while tannins are softer), more wine was produced than even the best winemakers are likely to sell. Many decided to “lighten up” — including Andrew Rich — asking WineAccess to turn luscious 2014 Pinot Noirs into hard cash!

The 2014 Andrew Rich Pinot Noir “Heart’s Gate” is vivid deep-ruby in hue. Intoxicating aromas of BLACK raspberry, BLACK cherry, and sweet spice, very gently touched with cedar. Terrifically concentrated and absolutely voluptuous on entry, filled with red- and black-fruit preserves, almost Russian River-like in intensity, yet still braced with the textbook Burgundian vibrancy so typical of the finest Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs. Drink now for its primary-fruit hedonism or lay down until the early 2020s. This is a magnificent effort from Andrew Rich.

Otherwise $38/bottle — just $19 today, after WineAccess flexed its buying muscles in Willamette Valley. Only 40 cases remain. No dawdling.

• ABV 14.10%
• Enjoy right away
• % Pinot Noir