Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator concur:
90 points — "Outstanding" — for our Roads End Oregon Pinot Noir!
Wine Spectator's rating qualifies Roads End 2006 as "Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style." Reviewer Harvey Steiman calls it:
"Smooth and refined, with some power in reserve behind the cherry and dark berry flavors, picking up a black olive note as the finish sails along. Drink now through 2014. 600 cases made." (WS, 12/15/08 p.149)
Wine Advocate's rating identifies Roads End 2006 as "An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines." Dr. Jay Miller writes:
"The 2006 Pinot Noir Roads End spent 10 months in French oak. Medium/dark ruby-colored, it reveals an attractive perfume of cedar, black cherry, and black raspberry. This leads to a layered, smooth-textured wine with plenty of sweet fruit, good balance, and a medium-long finish. Drink it over the next four years." (WA, Oct. 2008)
Oregon Pinot Noir Club features Roads End 2007
"Yum! It's ready to drink and is immensely appealing for its fresh, juicy, fruit-driven character and the purity and transparency of the fruit flavors. Another wine that’s hard to put down."
See the whole OPNC review here.
The Vitality of Oregon
Oregon's fertile Willamette Valley has established itself as one of the world's perfect places for Pinot Noir and many other varietals. In the heart of this thriving, artisanal wine country lies the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, the American Viticultural Area that is home to Carlton Cellars.
The Boldness of the Pacific Coast
Oregon's breathtaking Pacific Coast exerts a profound influence on the geology and climate of the Willamette Valley. Well-drained volcanic soils rich in marine sediment combine with our infamous Pacific Northwest weather to produce the phenomenal vineyards behind our wines — including our own estate in the Savannah Ridge microclimate, Russell-Grooters Vineyard.
In honor of the Pacific that so richly defines our winemaking, each of our wines is named for a special place on the Oregon coast, illustrated with stunning label art depicting the variety and drama of our storied coastline:
- Roads End Oregon Pinot Noir, our celebrated flagship wine,
- Cape Lookout Oregon Pinot Noir, our phenomenal estate wine,
- Agate Beach Oregon Pinot Noir Rosé, our dynamically dry new rosé.
The Character of the Willamette Valley
We are a small, artisanal winery committed to making premium wines in the Willamette Valley handcraft tradition. Since 2001 we've had the great fortune to contribute to the extraordinary Oregon wine story with our acclaimed Roads End Oregon Pinot Noir — which made the top ten in Wine Spectator reviewer Harvey Steiman's Recommended Oregon Wines list, and was rated outstanding by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate magazine.
This has been a watershed time for us. In 2007 we opened our Carlton Cellars Winery and tasting room, bottled the first public releases from our own estate grapes, inaugurated the Carlton Cellars Connoisseurs Club, and launched this all-new website, where we invite you to join us regularly as the story unfolds. In 2008 we tripled our wine list, and the momentum keeps building
Welcome to Carlton Cellars — we look forward to celebrating all our new directions with you.
— Dave & Robin, owner-winemakers,
and the team at Carlton Cellars
