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Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurène
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Domaine Drouhin Oregon

Pinot Noir Laurène

Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurène
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Service

  • Cellaring

    Optimum consumption: 10 to 12 years

    Ageing potential: 15 years

  • Tasting temperature

    16°C (61-62°F)

Grape variety

Pinot Noir

Vineyard

It comes from Pinot Noir grown on the estate's plots in the Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley. Domaine Drouhin Oregon is certified « Low Input Viticulture Environment » for sustainable viticulture.

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Tasting

by Véronique Boss-Drouhin

In the flush of its youth, Laurène sparkles like a bright ruby. Cherry, mulberry, blackcurrant, and spices all harmonize into a beautifully aromatic bouquet. An overall graceful character is balanced by a firm structure and velvety tannins. Laurène is a shining example of everything we’ve come to know and cherish from our vineyards in the Dundee Hills.

Vintage

The 2022 growing season began with great optimism. After a reasonable winter, bud break started in early April, right on schedule. Then, an unprecedented arctic air mass swept in, bringing snowfall, below-freezing temperatures, and the first-ever frost to impact our vineyards. Subsequent cool and damp conditions over the next few months caused sluggish vine growth, putting us 2-4 weeks behind by June. Mercifully, Mother Nature bestowed abundant sunshine and higher-than-average temperatures on us as harvest approached, resulting in a gentle conclusion to the season and excellent fruit ripeness. While the Pinot Noir crop volumes were lower than usual, the quality of the fruit was exceptional - a compromise that we gladly accept!

Winemaking

Named after Véronique Boss-Drouhin’s elder daughter, Laurène is our flagship wine and is produced entirely from Pinot Noir grown on the family’s estate in the Dundee Hills. The fruit is handpicked into small totes, destemmed, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and then placed into French Oak barrels. Once the vintage is safely in the cellar, Véronique begins the process of selecting barrels which have an extra complexity, length, and depth, barrels which will work together as Laurène.