Review: 2020 Duck Pond Pinot Noir and Rose
Duck Pond Cellars, owned by Great Oregon Wine Company & Distillery and based in Willamette Valley, recently announced that its 2020 Pinot Noir and Rose were the first recipients of a new wine certification from a third party organization called the Clean Label Project, “which is helping to transform the wine industry by defining what it means to be ‘natural.'”
As it turns out, ‘natural’ is not a regulated term, but CLP offers two formal certifications, Certified Natural and Certified Natural Path. Certified Natural Path, which is what Duck Pond’s wines are certified as, “uses elements of traditional natural wine production while allowing for some modern techniques including but not limited to the exclusive use of certified organic or glyphosate and neonicotinoid-free grapes, allowance of minimal cultured bacteria, and minimal use of added sulfites to extend shelf-life.”
Let’s give these two bottlings a whirl.
2020 Duck Point Pinot Noir Oregon – An exuberant and overtly fruity expression of pinot noir, this wine quickly pumps up notes of strawberry and ripe raspberry — rather sweet up top — before evoking elements of licorice candy and some dark chocolate later down the road. While atypical of pinot noir — from any region — it’s got enough chewy fruit character to make for a “crushable” experience — and make you forget that it was supposed to be pinot. B / $19
2020 Duck Point Rose Oregon – An unusual mix of pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot blanc, and riesling fermented separately and blended to create what seems like it might mostly be a white wine. Lots of fruit here — peaches, honeyed lemon, and juicy tangerine — leads the way to a mild floral element on the finish. Quite sweet on the whole, particularly the lengthy, honey-doused finish. Drink it while it’s still hot out. B+ / $16
2020 Duck Point Pinot Noir Oregon
$19
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