660 cases produced. 1998 Nuthouse Pinot Noir comes primarily from the low elevation, warm, southern slope of the Dundee Hills. This wine has very big, deep fruit and earth aromas, of chocolate-covered dried cherries. The flavor is powerful, of sweet ripe fruit, deep toasted oak and bacon with forest floor, tucked inside a rocky mineral shell, while the length is deep and long. 550 cases produced.
Nuthouse refers to the winery's previous incarnation as a filbert processing plant.
The wine, made from older vines, is seductive and generous with its black cherry flavor, shaded with hints of chocolate and smoke. It already feels gentle, but has the backbone and extended finish to develop with cellaring. Spirithouse Pinot Noir is a blend of close spaced, Dijon clone Pinot Noir from a higher elevation block in the Dundee Hills. The aromas are intense, blending higher tone black fruits, including Oregon's famous Marionberry, with lower tone earthy ones. The flavor has a jam-like fruitiness, 'silky' texture, and complexities sought by true Pinot Noir lovers.