Expressive and utterly delicious for immediate enjoyment. Jumping from the glass with black cherry, sandalwood, and delicate rose, it is supple and lively, adding to the delectable mix of cherries hints of dried thyme, brown spice, and candied orange. Classy and elegant. A November/December Reserve Pinot Noir Club selection. Only 75 cases made. - Marcus
Anneka's winemaking experience began in 2010 at the cellar of Eyrie, with a little nudging from winemaker Jason Lett, then grew to include an internship at Domaine Pavelot in Burgundy. You can see these influences in her wine, and you can see stylistic differences. Her four vintages of Pinot noir have been expressive and graceful.
Burton Bittman Wines began in 1990 when a pair of young farmers bought a portion of a family farm in the Dundee Hills with the vision of creating their own family farm. Lee and Kathy Miller had an ambition to return to the rural experience of Kathy’s upbringing in Northern California where her father farmed olives and prunes. Inspired by the wines they were drinking, and the stories they were hearing of a burgeoning wine grape growing and winemaking industry in Oregon, they decided to pursue buying land. Lee called David Lett for advice, and was introduced to Joel Meyers, Lett’s vineyard manager, who connected the couple with local realtor, Arno Fidel. After much searching both in vehicle and soul, things fell into place, and they purchased 46 acres of a “century farm” in the Dundee Hills in November 1987. With the collective support of family and friends, Lee and Kathy saw their first vineyard block planted on April 1, 1990. Today, the Tukwilla Vineyard is sustainably farmed by the people who planted it and has been the source of fruit for some of the great wines produced by Erath Vineyards, R.Stuart & Co., Lange Estate Winery, and The Eyrie Vineyards.
In 2010, winemaker Anneka Miller – daughter of the farmers – started producing a limited release of Pinot noir from her family’s vineyard. With the support of her mentor Jason Lett, she continued to build her experience through the 2011 and 2012 vintages at The Eyrie Vineyards. In 2013 she flew to France to intern at E.A.R.L. Domaine Pavelot in Pernand-Vergelesses while earning her Brevet de Technicien Supérieur in viticulture and œnologie from the Centre de Formation Professionnelle et du Promotion Agricole in Beaune. Under the guidance of Luc Pavelot, she learned to appreciate the length of the day, the space around each vine, and the consequence of each bud, each shoot, each cluster. After finishing the accelerated program entirely in French, Anneka returned to Oregon for the 2014 harvest.
With her grounding in the traditions of Oregon and Burgundy, Anneka’s objective as winemaker each vintage is to shepherd all the complexity of the growing season through the fermentation process to create something authentically real, which captures and holds in liquid suspension the essence of all those details. She doesn't lay claim to a strict winemaking style, or ethos. For Anneka, and her family the motivation behind all their work is rooted in their love of the farm, the vines, and the annual cycle that deeply connects all of them to the earth."