Dear Artisans,
We just received our long-awaited Master Sommelier's Secret: a coveted Oregon Pinot Noir, from the towering 2018 vintage, with a negotiated price that's just plain stupid. What's this all about??
I'd love to drink wines from Beaux Freres, Domaine Serene, Evening Land, and Roserock every day.
But it's 2022. Allocations are a pittance and very pricey. Also way too young to drink.
Enter this lavishly luscious 2018 Andrew Rich "Marine Sedimentary" Pinot Noir, sourced with Ribbon Ridge and several other epic AVAs, and made like the flagships I name-dropped above.
If you're not familiar with Mr. Rich, that's to be expected. Josh Raynolds of Vinous summarizes perfectly:
"Andrew Rich is a remarkably consistent producer whose wines don’t get the attention they deserve, which continues to be a mystery to me given the quality and value Rich has been delivering since he set up shop back in 1994.
Rich studied winemaking in Burgundy before returning to the US to begin his career at Bonny Doon, Randall Grahm’s trailblazing winery in California. He spent six years and five vintages there before heading up to Oregon and falling into the Pinot Noir trap.
Today, his tight range of wines have developed an insider following among Pinot lovers who value balance and precision – attributes that are on full display with his 2018s, from a vintage where elegance is hardly a given." (Feb. 2022)
