Antica Terra is one of the most philosophically original wineries in the Pacific Northwest, established in 2005 in the Eola-Amity Hills of Oregon’s Willamette Valley by a group of partners including winemaker Maggie Harrison, formerly assistant winemaker at Sine Qua Non in California. The estate vineyard, planted from 1989, occupies an extraordinary site of fossilised oyster shells and sandstone with virtually no topsoil, forcing the vines to struggle for nutrients and producing tiny clusters of thick-skinned, intensely flavoured grapes.

The Botanica bottling is Antica Terra’s flagship Pinot Noir, produced from the oldest vines on the estate and vinified with the precision and attention to site expression that defines the project’s identity. The 2022 vintage has been described by producers across the Willamette Valley as a “miracle,” following a devastating spring frost that killed the primary shoots before the secondary buds recovered and produced a crop of exceptional concentration and acidity. James Suckling’s executive editor Jim Gordon called the Botanica “equally astounding.”

Antica Terra occupies a position at the pinnacle of Oregon Pinot Noir: its wines regularly appear at the top of James Suckling’s Oregon reports and Vinous’s ratings for the state. A score of 98 points from both James Suckling and Vinous for the 2022 Botanica confirms the estate’s rare ability to produce wines of international benchmark quality. Availability is extremely limited, with wines sold exclusively through the estate’s allocation list and a small number of specialist retailers.

Ethereal and precise on the nose with aromas of dried herbs, dusty soil, crushed seashells, dried mushrooms and pink peppercorn, with subtle undertones of forest berries. Weightless yet deeply complex on the palate with nervy acidity and broad, chiselled tannins that add gravity and length to the finish. Best from 2028 onwards.

Aromas of dried herbs, dusty soil, crushed seashells, dried mushrooms and freshly cracked pink peppercorns with subtle nuances of forest berries. Ethereal and weightless, but at the same time enormous in depth and complexity, with nervy acidity and broad, chiselled tannins that run long. Impressive and sophisticated.  — James Suckling