2021 Titan
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
111 cases produced. $46
Named for Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major “Titan,” the 2021 vintage of our flagship Pinot Noir Titan combines 8-year-old Pommard (22.3%) vines from Bells Up’s estate vineyard (volcanic Jory soil) with Dijon Clones 115 (38.8%) and 777 (38.8%) from MonksGate Vineyard’s Yamhill-Carlton AVA vines—19- and 20-year-old vines respectively. The wine aged 12 months in French oak (27% new). The resulting 2021 Titan displays an elegant, rounded mouthfeel, accompanied by earthy and dark red fruit flavors. Its balanced structure and acidity offer enhanced aging potential over the next seven to 10 years.
TECHNICAL NOTESNOSE: Red fruits, fresh earth, cherries, wet stone.
PALATE: Red cherries, black pepper, Italian plums, bright acid, lingering finish.
Michael Apstein, Apstein on Wine: Bells Up makes a wide range of excellent Pinot Noir releases that differ stylistically yet maintain a family characteristic — purity. All of them are named after musical references because Dave Specter, the owner, played the French horn for more than two decades. The delicately framed Titan, after Mahler’s 1st symphony, conveys a lighter, gentler expression of Pinot Noir. The focus is on primary bright red fruit buttressed by bright acidity. Mild tannins mean it would take a chill nicely this summer. 90
Jeff & Melissa Lawson, Drink the Bottles: We feel like we jumped in with both feet first with this bold and smoky Pinot, presenting scorched earth and asphalt on the nose, dark fruits, cherry, and spice cabinet on the palate. Our group actually noted about eleven different flavor profiles and agreed that this felt more pronounced than expected for a Pinot Noir. You would almost swear there was a bit of Petite Syrah in here. 93/100
