INTERNATIONAL WINE CELLAR, JOSH RAYNOLDS, JULY 2012

2009 Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Noir Estate Grown Eola-Amity Hills – 90

($32) Dark red. Dark berries, sassafras and anise on the fragrant nose. Plush, expansive black raspberry and cherry flavors pick up spiciness with air and show very good energy. The sweet, enetrating finish clings with spicy intensity.

2009 Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Noir Southeast Block Eola-Amity Hills – 91

($50) Bright ruby-red. Cherry and redcurrant on the fragrant, spice-accented nose and in the mouth. Lively and precise, displaying very good depth and sneaky power. Aeration brings out an exotic floral nuance that carries through the long, sappy, gently tannic finish.

2009 Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Noir West Block Eola Amity Hills – 91

($50) Vivid ruby-red. Sexy, highly perfumed bouquet of dark berries and cherry- cola, with smoke and floral nuances building with air. Plush and broad, offering powerful dark fruit flavors that show both heft and vivacity. Closes on a spicy note, with very good clarity and gently gripping tannins.

2009 Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Noir Flat Block Eola-Amity Hills – 92

($58) Vivid ruby. High-pitched aromas of black raspberry, Asian spices and rose, with a touch of blood orange emerging with air. Bright and nervy on entry, then deeper in the mid-palate, offering intense dark berry flavors lifted by zesty acidity. Finishes on a sweet floral pastille note, with impressive clarity and cut.

2009 Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Noir Carter Vineyard Eola-Amity Hills – 92

($50) Bright ruby-red. Complex, highly perfumed aromas of red and dark berry preserves, incense and potpourri, complemented by a smoky overtone. Sappy black raspberry and cherry flavors show very good depth and pick up spice and floral nuances. Shows impressive energy on the long, silky, subtly sweet finish.

2009 Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard Eola-Amity Hills – 92

($50) Bright ruby-red. Complex, heady bouquet displays candied red fruits, potpourri and incense, plus a spicy topnote. Fresh raspberry and mulberry flavors show impressive depth and vivacity, with a tangy spine of acidity adding bite. Finishes sweet and long, with resonating spiciness and lingering florality.

2009 Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Noir Casteel Reserve Eola Amity Hills – 92

($60) Ruby-red. Spicy, fragrant aromas of dark berries, cherry pit and anise, with a suave floral quality in the background. Sappy, chewy and sweet, offering deeply pitched dark fruit flavors firmed by juicy acidity. Dusty tannins add shape and grip to the long dark fruit-dominated finish.

2009 Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Noir Libertine Eola-Amity Hills – 93

($75) (half of the fruit is from the estate vineyards and the rest from the Zena Crown vineyard): Bright ruby. Sexy, oak-spiced aromas of raspberry, cherry and tea rose. Supple and broad on entry, then tighter in the middle, offering intense, impressively deep bitter cherry and red fruit liqueur flavors. Displays very good vivacity and clarity on the long, red fruit-dominated finish.