2015 vintage notes
94 points Vinous: "Sexy, highly perfumed aromas of raspberry liqueur, cherry, incense and exotic spices. Silky and expansive in the mouth, offering intense red fruit, floral pastille, star anise and vanilla flavors that pick up a smoky nuance as the wine opens up. Finishes on a spicy note, delivering outstanding, floral- and mineral-tinged persistence. This Pinot's blend of depth and finesse is quite something."
One of the few downsides to moving from Corvallis to Portland is that we don't get to see old friends as much as we'd like. We count the Broadleys as old friends – we've sold their wine for decades and miss seeing them around town. So a recent visit from Jessica Broadley was especially nice, as was their new line-up of 2015s.
The show-stealer was the old vine Marcile Lorraine, named after founder Craig Broadley's mother. While dark and luscious, I was struck by the ribbon of acidity woven throughout, adding lift and energy to the ripe Oregon summer black and purple fruits. 50% whole clusters adds to the yum factor with savory earth tones. Delicious today, with a solid decade of cellar potential ahead.
Broadley Vineyards is a family owned and operated winery, founded by Craig and Claudia Broadley in 1981. On a shoe string budget and a desire to make elegant, earthy and intriguing wines, they clung to the "back to the country" ethos of the '70s and headed to Oregon. They began planting the estate vineyard when son and current winemaker Morgan was eleven. They found a warm site in a cool climate and called the tiny burg of Monroe their vineyard and winery's home.