Southern California-based wine reviewers Nathan and Courtney Marton — who post on their Winery Reflections website and social media accounts nearly every day — recently shared their impressions of our 2019 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. The pair is always incredibly generous with their time and notes, having reviewed previous vintages of Titan, including 2015 (now available as a library release!), 2016, and 2018. And, even though this bottling is now sold out, we were excited to hear what they thought of the release.
Here’s their review of the 2019 Titan:
Courtney and Nathan Marton of Winery Reflections in the Bells Up estate vineyard.
A wonderfully weightless and expansive display laden with Bing cherry, rhubarb, wild blueberry, and black raspberry prances with bright and expressive complexity as delicate floral tones of lavender and rose further bolster lively aromatics. Notes of pine and forest floor gently contribute understated organic character while a dusting of cinnamon, anise, and coriander provides a range of subtle yet interesting spiced qualities. Hints of iron and loamy soil round out the performance with pleasant bits of earthiness that are perfectly balanced by a fresh and primary fruit profile.
Terrifically lifted and fragrant on the nose while remaining pure, juicy, and delicate on the palate; exhibiting a remarkably complex yet irresistibly drinkable presentation that comes across as simultaneously pretty and serious. Medium bodied with soft tannin supported by bright acidity. This 2019 “Titan” Willamette Valley Pinot Noir by Bells Up Winery is a youthful and delicious red from Oregon.
While well made Pinot Noir has the potential to age for decades and develop a haunting bouquet of tertiary aromas, this noble grape can still be downright delicious in its youth when its primary fruit shines brightest. This bottling, crafted by Bells Up Winery using Pinot Noir sourced from within the Willamette Valley, is an exciting example of Pinot’s propensity to provide juicy enjoyment upon release.
This wine effortlessly spills gobs of expressive yet delicate red, blue, and black fruits complicated by fragrant floral tones, mild forest notes, balanced spices, and subtle earthy qualities. It is fantastic today yet boasts sufficient structure to age gracefully for up to a decade, although it would be very hard to resist popping the cork sooner. Excellent.
