WTN: 2011 St. Innocent Zenith Vineyard Pinot

[Jenise]

My first Inno from this vintage--I bought a case last year when the winery offered a preset mixed case, two bottles from six vineyards, at $22/bottle and had not got around to opening any yet. Light and bright, just-short-of-medium cherry fruit with a slight herbaceousness and very much like some Loire pinots I've had. Doesn't require food but it's definitely a food wine style even if determined by the tough vintage and not winemaker's intent, and though I get the diff between this and St. Innocent's usual standard for excellence, these were priced advantageously and I'm delighted to have some lighter, less flashy pinots like this in the cellar.

Wow Jenise, that was quite the deal they were offering. A few weeks ago I tasted a lineup of '11 St Innocents next to the new '12s, just released. I've got to say, the '11s blew the '12s out of the water for me. The '11s were very transparent and aromatically interesting, while the '12s were kind of gobby in comparison. Granted, the '11s had a year of bottle time on their siblings, but I don't think the '12s will be in nearly as interesting a place in a year. Maybe in 5 or 10 years those '12s will be interesting. Maybe.

[Jenise]

It was a black Friday kind of deal. One day only or something.

I truly liked the wine. Rereading my note I can see I didn't convey that well enough. I was just writing from the POV that most people would expect a little more flesh and extract from St. Innocent. That this wine, if it's typical of the vintage, did not, I'm thrilled. It kind of reminded me of a really lean cool vintage in the 90's--96 or 97?--whose wines showed like this young and aged magically.

Thanks for the note, Jenise. I really like the way St. Innocent interprets the Zenith vineyard. When I stop by the vineyard about once a year, it is almost always the wine I like most. The 2011's I've had have been certainly in my preferred style, with lighter, vibrant flavors. I do seem to enjoy Eola-Amity Hills ava's.

[Jenise]

Jim, I don't have much experience with Zenith. He started working with it only shortly before I got pissed off about his refusal to replace two corked bottles. (If men ask he replaces them, but if women ask he presumes they don't know what they're talking about.). I did not buy again until this extraordinary offer came along. Re zenith, you probably Know, is it the former O'Connor vineyard? I it underwent a name/ownership change, but to what new name I cannot recall.

I agree, that's a great deal for the case you bought. I think the 2011s in OR are like the 2007s in that they will age well and be better than originally expected. But 2011 is a slightly better vintage than 2007 in my view. I usually like the 2011 OR pinots better than 2012s (too ripe), although I know it is still early days.

Jenise, it's my understanding that Zenith is in fact the old O'Connor vineyard. I'm guessing an ownership change caused the name change but I don't know. Further, there's some kind of partnership between St. Innocent and the Zenith owners; when St. Innocent moved out of the industrial park in Salem to their fancy new digs in the country, it was to the Zenith property that they moved. They're partners in both vineyard and winery. I think. If that's right, Zenith is essentially St. Innocent's estate vineyard. I hope somebody who actually knows what they're talking about can either verify my version or straighten me out.

Here is what the vineyard website says: "St. Innocent Winery St. Innocent is our partner in the vineyard as a 25% owner and also is our partner in the winery. St. Innocent buys Pinot noir from the vineyard and began making Zenith Vineyard designated wine in 2006; St. Innocent made Oconnor Vineyard (the previous name of the vineyard) wines from 1989 – 1998 . Mark Vlossak, St. Innocent’s President and winemaker, makes our Zenith Vineyard wines as well. We are Mark’s biggest fans."
My experience is that the Zenith Vineyard wines are made for immediate consumption, and that the St. Innocent versions blossom with some aging. The St. Innocent winery is surrounded by the Zenith vineyard. More info available at: http://www.zenithvineyard.com.
By the way, I'm sorry about your experience of what I would label sexist behavior, Jenise. I don't like to see such behavior.

[Jenise]

Here is what the vineyard website says: "St. Innocent Winery St. Innocent is our partner in the vineyard as a 25% owner and also is our partner in the winery. St. Innocent buys Pinot noir from the vineyard and began making Zenith Vineyard designated wine in 2006; St. Innocent made Oconnor Vineyard (the previous name of the vineyard) wines from 1989 – 1998 . Mark Vlossak, St. Innocent’s President and winemaker, makes our Zenith Vineyard wines as well. We are Mark’s biggest fans."
My experience is that the Zenith Vineyard wines are made for immediate consumption, and that the St. Innocent versions blossom with some aging. The St. Innocent winery is surrounded by the Zenith vineyard. More info available at: http://www.zenithvineyard.com.
By the way, I'm sorry about your experience of what I would label sexist behavior, Jenise. I don't like to see such behavior.

Jim, I don't look for slights and am not one to reach that conclusion easily, but there's just no other explanation for the arguments he lobbed back at me for not replacing the bottles vs. the 'Yes of course' David Bueker and Jason Hagen get when they report corked bottles. Never mind that I'd been a winery-direct customer for over ten years. Anyway, I shouldn't even bring it up, it's old news. But it still rankles.

Okay, the Zenith IS the O'Connor; thanks for looking that up. I loved the old O'Connor vineyard--deceptively soft wines that always outlasted expectations.

Hello! Digging through old posts and saw this. The O'Connor vineyard went downhill upon the death of one of the spouses so I think this might be all new plantings, and a lot more plantings.

Just to clarify, IIRC Mark has never replaced a corked bottle of wine for me. I say this because I don't think I have ever had a corked bottle of St Innocent. But I do remember raising the issue with him when I heard Jenise's story and I believe he responded here. His policy was that he would not replace corked bottles but I think he may have revisited that policy after he saw how strongly savvy wine buyers felt about this issue. Also, I believe Tim Ramey, who is now a partner (and owner of Zenith) has a policy of replacing bottles.



2011 is a terrific vintage IMO. And I have been quite surprised by the 12s. I've tasted the line ups from, Patricia Green, Matello, Goodfellow, and Biggio Hamina. Great wine-makers made some flat out tasty stuff without any goopy heavy fruit.

Cheers,

Jason

Here is what the vineyard website says: "St. Innocent Winery St. Innocent is our partner in the vineyard as a 25% owner and also is our partner in the winery. St. Innocent buys Pinot noir from the vineyard and began making Zenith Vineyard designated wine in 2006; St. Innocent made Oconnor Vineyard (the previous name of the vineyard) wines from 1989 – 1998 . Mark Vlossak, St. Innocent’s President and winemaker, makes our Zenith Vineyard wines as well. We are Mark’s biggest fans."
My experience is that the Zenith Vineyard wines are made for immediate consumption, and that the St. Innocent versions blossom with some aging. The St. Innocent winery is surrounded by the Zenith vineyard. More info available at: http://www.zenithvineyard.com.
By the way, I'm sorry about your experience of what I would label sexist behavior, Jenise. I don't like to see such behavior.

Jim, I don't look for slights and am not one to reach that conclusion easily, but there's just no other explanation for the arguments he lobbed back at me for not replacing the bottles vs. the 'Yes of course' David Bueker and Jason Hagen get when they report corked bottles. Never mind that I'd been a winery-direct customer for over ten years. Anyway, I shouldn't even bring it up, it's old news. But it still rankles.

Okay, the Zenith IS the O'Connor; thanks for looking that up. I loved the old O'Connor vineyard--deceptively soft wines that always outlasted expectations.

[Jenise]

But I do remember raising the issue with him when I heard Jenise's story and I believe he responded here. His policy was that he would not replace corked bottles....

The issue was was that he responded negatively to-the-point-of-refusal when I reported two corked bottles, first ever after years of satisfied receipt, but David Bueker, a newer male subscriber, got a bottle replaced just for asking. And yes, Mark came here to address the issue without explaining why he'd replaced David's but refused mine (though I'd been on his mailing list since like 1992 and had never asked previously), but he agreed under duress to replace my bottles if and only if I resubmitted my request though it was explained in the thread which wines I'd reported as bad and I had been on his mailing list since the early 90's. He could have looked it all up but would not...it was so apparent, Jason, that he was trying to hang onto your good esteem (your intentions in bringing him into the forum were good) vs. earn mine back that I didn't even bother re-sending my initial email, I just quit the mailing list. Were you me, I'm certain you'd have done no different.