2022 Patricia Green Cellars "Bearwallow Vineyard" Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, California, USA

ABOUT THE WINE

The 2022 Bearwallow Vineyard Pinot Noir comes from Bearwallow Vineyard near Philo in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley, which is one of California’s coolest Pinot Noir regions. Located toward the valley’s cooler western end, the vineyard experiences significant Pacific Ocean influence, with foggy mornings, cool nights, and a long growing season that encourages slow ripening and helps Pinot Noir retain acidity and aromatic detail.

Bearwallow is a particularly notable site because of its association with Rhys Vineyards, which acquired the property and has explored its complex geology through detailed vineyard work. The site sits at relatively high elevation for Anderson Valley and includes shallow, rocky soils derived from ancient marine sedimentary formations. Combined with the cool maritime climate, these conditions tend to produce Pinot Noir with bright red fruit, savory complexity, and a strong sense of structure rather than overt ripeness.

For Patricia Green Cellars, Bearwallow represents a rare excursion beyond the winery’s home territory in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The fruit is handled with the same philosophy applied to the estate’s Oregon bottlings: minimal manipulation, restrained extraction, and an emphasis on preserving vineyard character. Fermentation incorporates native yeasts and thoughtful use of whole clusters, while élevage in French oak is intended to support the wine rather than dominate it with wood flavor.

The 2022 vintage gives the wine appealing fruit concentration while retaining the acidity essential to Patricia Green’s style. Red cherry and raspberry sit at the center, surrounded by floral, herbal, and earthy tones, with fine tannins providing subtle structure. While already expressive with some air, the wine should gain additional forest-floor, spice, and savory complexity with several years in bottle.

Serve around 55–60°F (13–16°C) with roast duck, grilled salmon, roast chicken, pork tenderloin, mushrooms, lentils, or earthy root vegetables. Its combination of delicate tannin and vivid acidity also makes it an excellent match for dishes built around herbs and wild mushrooms.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER

Patricia Green Cellars was founded in 2000 by Patricia Green and Jim Anderson at a former winery property in the Ribbon Ridge area of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. From the beginning, the estate became known for an unusually deep exploration of Pinot Noir, producing numerous small bottlings designed to reveal differences among vineyards, soil types, vine ages, clones, and farming methods.

Following Patricia Green’s death in 2017, longtime partner and winemaker Jim Anderson continued the winery and its distinctive approach. Rather than building the range around a single polished house style, Patricia Green Cellars has consistently treated Pinot Noir as a lens through which individual vineyards can be studied. The resulting wines often emphasize aromatic clarity, natural acidity, moderate extraction, and transparent expression of site.

The winery works extensively with growers throughout the Willamette Valley, including important sites in Ribbon Ridge, Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, and neighboring appellations. Bearwallow is unusual within the portfolio because it takes that same site-focused philosophy south to California’s Anderson Valley, providing a fascinating comparison between Oregon Pinot Noir and a distinctly maritime California terroir.

Across the range, cellar techniques are adapted to the character of each vineyard rather than imposed uniformly. Native fermentation, varying proportions of whole clusters, restrained new oak, and careful extraction are tools used in service of the fruit. The 2022 Bearwallow Vineyard bottling captures that philosophy particularly well: California Pinot Noir interpreted through the precise, site-conscious perspective that has long defined Patricia Green Cellars.