Roots Wine Co. ‘Klee’ Pinot Noir 2024

$21.00

Location: United States, Oregon

Winemaker: Chris Berg

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Soil: sedimentary/alluvial

Winemaking: Fermented with wild yeasts and aged in French oak barrel (10% new) for 10 months.

From us at M&L: Red and purple fruit abound here, with an intoxicatingly supple palate riddled with bruised strawberry, melted dark chocolate, sweet mushroom, cooked plums, and fresh leather. Serve lightly chilled with pork tenderloin/smoked duck/stir-fry.

From the Producer: Since 2002, Roots winemaker/owner Chris Berg has been crafting terroir-driven wines—expressive of the soil, climate, and geography—using native fermentation in the winery and sustainable methods in the vineyard. The result? Wines of finesse and complexity.

Born in Racine, Wisconsin, and raised in Idaho, Pennsylvania and Illinois, Chris didn't always know he wanted to make wine. In fact, when he graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence with a bachelor's in English, he wasn't sure what his future held, as far as a career. Meanwhile his parents, Chuck and Dian Berg, had decided to relocate to Oregon from Illinois with the purchase of a manufacturing company in Tualatin, Oregon. Chris soon followed and helped his parents at the plant, as well as the other reason for the big move: establishing a small vineyard.

In 1999, the Bergs planted seven acres of mostly Pinot Noir on the 20-acre property near Yamhill in the Yamhill-Carlton District of the Willamette Valley. Chuck and Dian built a small house on the vineyard, and Chris lived in Portland with his wife, Hilary, also a Jayhawk. The family's business closed their doors in 2000, and the Bergs found themselves full-time winery folk. In 2001, Chuck and Dian moved to the sunny locale of Wickenburg, Ariz., to be near Dian's parents. Chris and Hilary were then given the opportunity to move to the vineyard from Portland. And the rest is ... in the barrels. In 2002, the Bergs picked their first harvest of a whopping three tons, which were made into 72 cases of Pinot Noir. 

Today, Roots produces approximately 5,000 cases annually. Wines include the flagship estate Pinot Noir, as well as several single vineyard-designate Pinot Noirs, sourced mostly from neighboring vineyards in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. In an homage to one of Chris' favorite artists, Paul Klee, Roots' second label, Klee, makes up the largest portion of the case production with 2,000 cases made annually. The artwork is their own adaptation of an obscure Klee painting. 

Location: United States, Oregon

Winemaker: Chris Berg

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Soil: sedimentary/alluvial

Winemaking: Fermented with wild yeasts and aged in French oak barrel (10% new) for 10 months.

From us at M&L: Red and purple fruit abound here, with an intoxicatingly supple palate riddled with bruised strawberry, melted dark chocolate, sweet mushroom, cooked plums, and fresh leather. Serve lightly chilled with pork tenderloin/smoked duck/stir-fry.

From the Producer: Since 2002, Roots winemaker/owner Chris Berg has been crafting terroir-driven wines—expressive of the soil, climate, and geography—using native fermentation in the winery and sustainable methods in the vineyard. The result? Wines of finesse and complexity.

Born in Racine, Wisconsin, and raised in Idaho, Pennsylvania and Illinois, Chris didn't always know he wanted to make wine. In fact, when he graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence with a bachelor's in English, he wasn't sure what his future held, as far as a career. Meanwhile his parents, Chuck and Dian Berg, had decided to relocate to Oregon from Illinois with the purchase of a manufacturing company in Tualatin, Oregon. Chris soon followed and helped his parents at the plant, as well as the other reason for the big move: establishing a small vineyard.

In 1999, the Bergs planted seven acres of mostly Pinot Noir on the 20-acre property near Yamhill in the Yamhill-Carlton District of the Willamette Valley. Chuck and Dian built a small house on the vineyard, and Chris lived in Portland with his wife, Hilary, also a Jayhawk. The family's business closed their doors in 2000, and the Bergs found themselves full-time winery folk. In 2001, Chuck and Dian moved to the sunny locale of Wickenburg, Ariz., to be near Dian's parents. Chris and Hilary were then given the opportunity to move to the vineyard from Portland. And the rest is ... in the barrels. In 2002, the Bergs picked their first harvest of a whopping three tons, which were made into 72 cases of Pinot Noir. 

Today, Roots produces approximately 5,000 cases annually. Wines include the flagship estate Pinot Noir, as well as several single vineyard-designate Pinot Noirs, sourced mostly from neighboring vineyards in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. In an homage to one of Chris' favorite artists, Paul Klee, Roots' second label, Klee, makes up the largest portion of the case production with 2,000 cases made annually. The artwork is their own adaptation of an obscure Klee painting.