I first visited the Willamette Valley of Oregon as a newlywed back in the mid-1980s, when the area was in its winemaking infancy. It was fascinating but, definitely, those wines were works in progress back then. It was my second visit, however, in the early-nineties, that was the one that confirmed Oregon’s Pinot Noir promise. It was on that trip that I visited several of the then-young cellars of that second generation of pioneer who were hard at work validating the work of the first. Among the people I met that time was Mark Vlossak. Mark was one of those rugged iconoclastic types who had abandoned better-paying careers Back East (in his case Wisconsin) in 1988, to pursue a passion for digging around in the Oregon dirt of to find land he could turn into great Pinot. He called the spot he finally chose, right on the border of what’s now called the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Freedom Hill and called his winery Saint Innocent. He wisely planted the 47 acres he found to a mixture of the Pinot Noir clones his colleagues were experimenting with and, with his dad helping at the sorting table, created his first vintage of Saint Innocent Freedom Hill Pinot Noir in 1994. The ensuing three decades, even as the French from Burgundy invaded and two new generations of Pinot-crazy would-be winemakers (many mentored by Mark) set up shop, saw this particular bottling of Oregon Pinot emerge as one of its most iconic. In fact, the Freedom Hill Pinot created the template for scores and scores of other single vineyard bottlings, most not nearly as successful. Mark continues to make the wine much as he did thirty years ago. He works with the same three blocks of Freedom Hill: two acres of Pommard clone; two acres of Wädenswil; and three acres of Dijon 777. The fruit for this is de-stemmed but only minimally crushed, leaving 30-40% whole berries, and fermentations begin spontaneously in large wooden uprights without SO2. Aging for this 2019 was for around a year in barrel with around 30% new wood. No fining, only a light filtration, and the bottling was done by gravity. This is truly the classic Oregon Pinot Noir- one that captures the best of what we love about California Pinot (its intense fruit and plush texture) and Burgundy (amazing aromatics, vibrant natural acidity and remarkable complexity). We love the fact that it’s now going on six years after the harvest and its early introverted personality has opened to reveal a core of lifted lavender-like florals, cinnamon spice, concentrated but still lilting cherry confit and a finishing dash of mulberry. Broad, but definitely structured, it’s a very impressive bottle of Oregon Pinot that will continue to improve over the next few years. This is a lamb chop sort of Pinot: One that loves full flavored food with lots of herbs, spices and grill marks. Mark says to decant it. I don’t, preferring mine to open up gradually as it airs.

Vinous Media: The 2019 Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard seduces with a sweetly scented bouquet of dusty violets, lavender, dried black cherries and baking spice. Dark red and blue fruits swirl across a core of cooling acidity as this displays textures of pure silk, coming across as elegant and refined throughout. The 2019 continues to captivate through the finish, closing with a coating of sweet tannins and an air of blue and purple-toned florals that lingers on and on. In a word, superb. 94+ points

Wine Enthusiast: I have rarely encountered such a spicy nose filled with za’atarlike spices ranging from dried sumac and cumin to marjoram and sesame seeds. If all of that isn’t enough for you, the wine’s sandalwood and blackberry aromas are also pretty nifty. Bright cherry and lemon flavors flanked by crispy acidity bring it all home. 94 points