Appassionata, Fortissimo - Willamette Valley 2012

The Drink Business

94 / 100

byColin Haythe9/19/2023

I was initially a little sceptical about the holding back of this wine for a decade in bottle prior to release, but I’m much more convinced having tasted the wine – which is impressively, and remarkably youthful. That said, it seems a shame not to have been able to follow just a little the early evolution and better to understand the wine for so doing, but there is no mistaking the quality here. Rich, plump, deep, dense and round, yet fresh, lithe, refined and, above all, layered and complex. Baked plums, baking spices, oak smoke but also fresher notes of red and white currant, girolles and white truffle, pine needles and pine resin, eucalyptus and salty black liquorice. A fascinating wine, true to its fortissimo epithet but refined with it. Long and gently tapering on the finish. All of that said, I would have liked to taste this before the secondary notes had started to develop. It also feels to be, just a little, that the naming of this wine (as fortissimo) has perhaps contributed just a little too much to its style – is fortissimo necessarily a virtue in itself in a wine, I find myself asking. But this is very good nonetheless.

Decanter.com

95 / 100

byGeorgina Hindlethe9/4/2023

Brand new to the Place de Bordeaux this year is a passion project by Ernie Loosen in Oregon's Willamette Valley that began in 2005. 'A great wine starts with the idea of a great wine' Ernie believes and his idea was to create a new world Pinot Noir (Burgundian vineyards were and are too expensive) but released when the wines are starting to be ready to drink - 10 years! Smoked meat, fragrant strawberries and rose petals on the nose, delightfully beguiling and really draws you in on the first smell. Succulent and silky from the start, bright and piercing almost but then immediately softens bringing vanilla, clove, herbal raspberries, orange peel, touches of leather and meat into the mix. Still very much on the fruit but with accents of maturity that bring intrigue. Light and fresh, immediately so drinkable so feel free to pull the corks but this will also continue to improve with more age. Delicate yet layered with a certain push and style from the start and a real lingering of spice on the finish. Still a baby, only just starting to show what it's made of.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe8/22/2023

Supple, detailed and surprisingly fresh and youthful for its age, offering fragrant cherry blossom and raspberry flavors layered with black tea and cinnamon. Finishes with refined tannins. Drink now through 2028.

The Wine Independent

95 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe8/21/2023

The 2012 Appassionata Fortissimo Pinot Noir is pale to medium ruby in color. It slips easily out of the glass with notes of dried cranberries, kirsch, and rose oil followed by hints of powdered cinnamon, fallen leaves, and Ceylon tea. The light to medium-bodied palate is elegant and refreshing, with silky tannins and a long perfumed finish. J. Christopher Winery in Willamette, Oregon is owned by Ernst Loosen of Germany’s Dr. Loosen. This is only the third vintage for this label, a blend of 5 different plots on the estate which is not released until 10 years after the vintage.

Jamessuckling.com

93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/4/2023

Porcini mushrooms, currants, cranberries, rosemary, cloves and citrus zest. Bright and intense, with fine and tight tannins. So much energy and tension still. Drink or hold.