Lonesome Rock 2023 The Estate Pinot Noir Rows of Sharon- Willamette Valley

2023 The Estate “Rows of Sharon” Pinot Noir

A Barrel-Selected Willamette Valley Pinot Noir with Extended Élevage

Our “Rows of Sharon” cuvée is a limited-production, estate-grown Pinot Noir, produced in tribute to the matriarchs of our family whose care and perseverance shaped the path to Lonesome Rock.

Each year, six unique barrels begging for more time in barrel—selected for aromatic detail, depth of flavor, and texture—are set aside for an additional five months of aging.

After a cool, delayed start in 2023 and very dry summer, overall warm, dry conditions and a compressed harvest yielded elegant, vibrant Pinot Noir with good ripeness and balanced acidity.

Glimmering ruby-violet, Rows of Sharon opens with ripe blackberry and a hint of vanilla-root beer, unfolding into lavender, spice, and Bing cherry. The palate glides—silky, balanced, and full without force—with supple tannins and a graceful, dancer-like poise. True to 2023, it’s open-hearted and generous.
The fruit was harvested by hand into tiny bins to ensure uncrushed fruit arrives at the winery. Meticulously hand-sorted and 100% destemmed berries are cold-macerated for 4-5 days, fermented with ambient yeast, and hand-punched down during fermentation. Transferred to 100% French oak (33% new) and aged in cold cellar for 15 months before a light filtration at bottling.
Vintage: Second
Production: 6 barrels / 150 (750ml); 5 (1.5L Magnums)
Years Planted: 2007, 2015
Harvest Dates: 9/23, 10/7/2022
Clones: PN50, Wadenswil, 667, 777
Cropload: 2.1 Tons/Acre
Fermentation: De-stemmed and cold- macerated 4-5 days; ambient yeast
Élévage: 16 months in French oak (33% new)
Alcohol: 13.6%
Winemaker: Isabelle Dutartre
Release Date: 9/1/2025
The 2023 season began slowly, with cool spring temperatures extending into early April before an abrupt burst of heat in early May accelerated vine growth and compressed early development. The interval from budbreak to bloom was notably short—approximately 32 days—and from the outset it was clear yields would be small, but quality looked exceptional. Sustained warmth through August raised concerns about an early or overly ripe vintage; however, cooler September conditions, paired with a timely bit of rainfall, slowed ripening, preserving freshness while allowing flavor and structure to develop. We began with Chardonnay on a cool morning, September 17th, under ideal conditions. An extraordinary early-October forecast then gave us the flexibility to choose ideal harvest windows across our diverse Pinot Noir blocks, with picks on September 23, October 4, and October 7. The resulting wines are defined by ripe, expressive fruit, natural acidity, and a clear, composed expression of place.