Winery Reflections is Nathan and Courtney Marton, and they’re fabulous.
The latest Bells Up wine to be reviewed by Southern California-based wine reviewers Nathan and Courtney Marton is the 2020 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir. The Martons sample a lot of wine, posting reviews on their Winery Reflections website and social media accounts nearly every day.
They’re among our biggest cheerleaders, having reviewed many of our wines over the past several years—including our debut vintage of Jupiter, made in 2019. So it’s always exciting to see what they think of a particular release.
We were particularly interested to hear what they would think of this wine, which was made during the “Wildfire Year” (also known as the “Dumpster Fire Year” thanks to the pandemic). Living in Southern California, the Martons are no strangers to wildfires and their potential impact on wines from their region.
Here’s their review of the 2020 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir:
A brilliantly complex and contemplative fruit core of wild strawberry, spiced cherry, black raspberry, and blueberry skin booms with expressive yet intriguing luster while hints of anise, rosemary, and sage effortlessly contribute a provocative herbal edge. Wafts of cherry blossom, lavender, and violet enhance aromatics via gorgeous floral overtones playfully interlaced with pleasant organic essences of crushed pine cone, tobacco, and forest floor. A delicate dusting of cinnamon, cumin, and nutmeg further lifts the display with a range of exotic spices while impressions of iron, leather, and tilled soil assert interestingly rugged leanings.
Impressively dense, brooding, and serious on the palate while packed with gobs of youthful energy and structure; exhibiting a surprisingly powerful yet well balanced and elegant presentation that is incredibly age-worthy yet still nicely approachable. Solidly medium bodied yet brimming with elevated tannin offset by bright acidity. This 2020 “Jupiter” Estate Pinot Noir by Bells Up Winery is a bold and beguiling red from the Chehalem Mountains.
Located in the heart of the Willamette Valley’s Chehalem Mountains AVA just north of the town of Newberg, the Bells Up Estate Vineyard was planted in 2014 and is already developing into a site that consistently puts out world-class Pinot Noir. This bottling, crafted by Bells Up Winery using a blend of Pommard and 667 Clone Pinot Noir grown on their estate, showcases how remarkable wine from this site can be even in a brutally tough vintage.
This possesses plenty of dense yet delicate red, black, and blue fruits complimented by complex herbal notes, pretty forest tones, balanced barrel spice, and slightly rugged earthiness. Amazingly, it shows absolutely no ill effects from the devastating fires that impacted Oregon in 2020, and is surely Bells Up’s best release yet from their home vineyard. Outstanding.
