2015 vintage notes
94 points Vinous: "A highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh red/blue fruits, potpourri, spicecake and incense that are complemented by an intense mineral overtone. Densely packed yet vibrant in character, showing outstanding clarity and spicy thrust to its sweet raspberry, boysenberry and rose pastille flavors. Becomes deeper on the gently tannic finish, which hangs on with noteworthy tension and floral-driven persistence."
93 points Wine Advocate: "The 2015 Pinot Noir Outcrop is pale to medium ruby in color with rose petal perfume over a core of fresh cranberries, Bing cherries and baked rhubarb plus touches of tar, dried tobacco leaves and bitter orange peel. Light to medium-bodied, it gives pure bright red fruits in the mouth, with touches of bitters and dried rose petals segueing into warm earth, dried autumn leaves and meaty touches. It has a firm frame of grainy tannins and very juicy, mouthwatering acidity, finishing very long with wonderful texture and layers."
To me, 2015 is a breakout vintage for this site. The sensual, musk-like perfume of its Original Vines neighbor is beginning to show itself, along with some spicier threads interwoven into the melange of Oregon summer berries, mostly fresh with a spoonful of the best berry jam you’ve ever had. Excellent purity and powder-fine structure. When I first tasted it, at the winery, Jason introduced it in a way that struck me as odd, even funny: “I like this wine because it helps set the stage for the next wine.” Wow, that good? I thought, until walking the vineyards I realized the continuity between Outcrop and Original Vines — they are mere steps from each other! Planted in 1982, with a complicated composition of soils (3 volcanic and 3 sedimentary coming together). - Marcus