Flaneur Cuvee Constantin Pinot Noir 2019

Flaneur Cuvee Constantin Pinot Noir 2019

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2017 vintage notes

You have read extensively about our fondness for the 2017 vintage. So we were stoked to taste Flaneur’s ‘17s with Grant, not knowing that we’d find our favorite Flaneur wine yet, Cuvee Constantin 2017. Strangely, as I looked back at my notes I wrote very little. From memory, I stopped writing because I wanted to experience it, to savor the colliding forces of supreme tastiness and intellectual intrigue. I’d rather not have to look back at a tasting note; I’d rather be moved enough to know I want to get behind a wine and to urge our loyal supporters to do the same. Consider me so moved. 

For Grant, “2017 is one of my favorite vintages. We had ample fruit, very consistent growing conditions, it was cooler towards harvest, we got to pick at our leisure and I had time to really think about what kind of wines I could make while we were harvesting.”

“Cuvee Constantin is a very personal wine to me. It encompasses all the things I love in wines I drink from other people: whole cluster notes, richness of texture, something that will unfold layers over a meal. That’s the process I’m looking for in the cellar–how can I marry the different components to create a vision of the wines I really like to drink. That is Constantin, my most idiosyncratic experiments incorporated into one wine.”

Grant met Flaneur founder Marty DoerschIag when Grant was still at Beaux Freres. 

“He liked what I was doing with Beaux Freres and Hundred Suns. He thought it was a good fit for what he wanted to do with Flaneur; he embraced my curiosity and experimentation.” 

Speaking of curiosity, the more I synthesized my interview with Grant the more I needed this question answered: what was the source of his intellectual curiosity and experimentation? Turns out, it’s lifelong.

“I have always been a curious fellow; as a kid I was always very tactile and liked to work with my hands. I have vivid childhood memories of becoming obsessed with medieval weapons. I wouldn't just go out in the woods and grab any old stick to make a bow and arrow but I would plop down in the Pacific Grove Library and research how bows were made throughout the ages, from China to Great Britain. What was the best wood to use? How do you bend the wood without breaking it? What is the best material for a bow string? Now I couldn't find Yew branches to make my bow and didn't have access to sinew for string. So I improvised and worked with what I had around me, experimenting with different materials until I made something I was proud of.

“This curiosity has followed me throughout my life. When I started learning about winemaking I realized there were so many different paths to take. School taught me how to break the process down into digestible bites that could be quantified and synthesized with defined results. While these were valuable skills, after I graduated I began to learn about people who were making wines from a holistic perspective – looking at the land and how it can be expressed and transmitted through the grape and into the wine. 

“Once I began to understand the meaning of ‘sense of place’ I wanted to go to the next level and start learning about how truly compelling wines are made by using only the natural tools given. The grape, the seed, the stem, the yeast and bacteria, these are all the simple components that go into making wines. By reorienting the composition of these elements and changing levels of each time they are in contact with each other and their environment, I discovered you can make a vast array of different flavor, aromatic and textural landscapes that when combined create a unique wine composition. The dizzying amount of subtle variables is what keeps me constantly engaged in the process of making and creating new, hopefully unique wines each new vintage.” 

Grant found his true calling in the organic and biodynamic vineyards of Oregon. “I fell in love with the vineyards at Flaneur. With the phenomenal range of raw materials and the freedom to express my artistic vision, I’m able to take risks and guide the wines in different directions without chemicals and manipulation. 

“Marty and I share that vision: to make wines that are compelling, to take risks, as long as I sign off on it. He knows that I will never put out a wine that isn’t delicious.” 

Make sure you always get a discount by using our Build a Case® program. 

How it works:

If you haven't found a full case (12 bottles) to buy today, start your Build a Case® order now by purchasing a few bottles online, by phone or email. If you order online, select the Build a Case® option. If by phone or email, just ask us to add the bottles to a Build a Case® order for you. You'll receive order confirmation and we'll cellar the wines for you at no charge.

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Build a Case® 

Make sure you always get a discount by using Build a Case® How it works:

If you haven't found a full case (12 bottles) to buy today, start your Build a Case®  now by purchasing a few bottles online, by phone or email. If you order online, select the Build a Case®  option. If by phone or email, just ask us to add the bottles to a Build a Case®  for you. You'll receive order confirmation and we'll cellar the wines for you until you reach a full case.

Our Wine Advice

Life's too short to drink bad wine.

We taste as much or more Oregon wine in a given year than anyone on the planet. We look for the needles in the haystacks, the wines you won't find in your local wine store. Wineries have long sought our help to sell their most limited, unique bottlings.

We are picky. We like to sell wines that we like to drink. We refer to taste the wines sell over several days; we want to know how a wine will evolve, how it pairs with food. We want to know if it truly belongs in your cellar, in your glass, and we want to provide you with guidance on how and when it'll be its best.

Our goal is to describe wines in ways that you can actually relate to. We battle against overly flowery tasting notes. You know the kind. The ones that mention things that no one has ever smelled or tasted. They're mostly B.S. and they perpetuate snobbery that we don't like.

We give you the unfiltered truth about a wine.We believe wine isn't one-size-fits-all. We get to know your tastes and preferences so that we can recommend the right wines for you.

Testimonials

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Avalon is a gem. The wine selection is both excellent and expertly curated. Better yet, Marcus and Andy invest the time to get to know their customers personally. So their recommendations fit you like a well-tailored suit (just more reasonably priced!).

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Marcus and Andy's knowledge of the wines, wineries and winemakers of the area is encyclopedic and, in my experience, second to none. They have a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of the industry and a knack for recommending wines that are 'in my wheelhouse,' but also the insight to direct me toward new discoveries. I wholeheartedly recommend them to both those in the know and those who would
like to be.

Bob S.
★★★★★

Andy and Marcus only sell wines they would drink themselves, they sell them at reasonable prices, and they take exceptionally good care of their customers. Ethics, value, service…the reasons we buy all our wine from Avalon.

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These guys do an outstanding job of sourcing great wines at terrific prices. Their reviews are fun to read and quite on point without all of the nonsense. Whose ever tasted squirrel dung or asphalt anyway? Get on their email list and savor the experience; then tell a friend. That's how I became a dedicated customer of Avalon Wine.

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