The History of Spirithouse
We commonly refer to various buildings as houses at Argyle, partly because we take so much pride in these spaces that they feel like home and partly because they were homes at one point. This is true for our Spirithouse.
Spirithouse was known as Argyle’s original Tasting Room, and before that the City Hall for the town of Dundee; but in the 1800’s this building was the home of the Imus family, and Lena Imus still resides in her home to this day.
We honor her presence with our Spirithouse Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling wines, made primarily of fruit from the Dundee Hills, and are proud to share Spirithouse Pinot Noir from our Library for this spirited season. These rare wines are now only available as part of our Spirithouse Pinot Noir Vertical sets.
VIEW THE COLLECTION
2012 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
92pts Wine Enthusiast
91pts Wine Spectator
With 11 years of age on this wine, we are still impressed at how much fruit is on the forefront of this vintage. Spirithouse is iconically red-fruited as it is all fruit from the Dundee Hills AVA. The tannins are silkier and more integrated while the acidity is still fresh. This vintage still has tons of potential and will continue to age over the next few years, if you so choose. View product here.
2013 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
91pts International Wine Review
from the start, this year was an anomaly from other vintages – from the ideal conditions during the summer to the atmospheric river at harvest. Since this is 100% Lone Star fruit, we see classic development similar to the single vineyard wines. The fruit becomes concentrated and developed, the rugged tannins are smoothing out and transform the luscious mouthfeel. View product here.
2014 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
93pts James Suckling
92pts Wine Spectator
This vintage of Spirithouse brings back some memories! We moved the remainder of production from Dundee to Newberg, our current winemaking facility, and this was the first Spirithouse vintage in Newberg. 2014 was also the vintage that kicked off the series of warmer vintages. With this in mind, we’re experiencing more freshness, more acidity, more red fruit, and more body. Now, we’re seeing all of the ‘more’ tone down and become inviting. No need to rush on opening this vintage, it will age for another decade if you choose. View product here.
2015 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
94pts International Wine Report
We’re seeing a significant shift in the classic Spirithouse profile. The 2015 vintage was extremely warm and dry. This changed the fruit upon initial release and now we’re witnessing the fruit take a new direction into dark and juicy with tons of spice characters. I instantly want food with this wine, maybe a steak or smash burger with bleu cheese, grilled onions, and bacon. View product here.
2016 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
93pts Wine Spectator
92pts Vinous
One of the benefits of our screw caps is the fact that these wines retain their primary characteristics much longer than wines under cork. While this Spirithouse Pinot Noir is seven years old, it drinks like it was just released! Loads of red raspberry, crunchy red cherry and slight hints of alpine forest are prominent in this vintage and will continue to develop into dried fruits over the next 2 decades. View product here.
2017 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
91pts Wine Spectator
Entirely from Knudsen Vineyard, 2017 Spirithouse Pinot Noir displays the delicacy and refinement of the Dundee Hills, all the while glimmering with admirable depth and texture. Raspberry, pomegranate, and orange peel open into delicate floral complexity. The silky tannins and generous weight are balanced with crisp, high-elevation acidity, providing tension to the long finish. After fermentation and free run draining, the wine was allowed to age elegantly on its lees for 16 months in French oak, of which 30% were new. View product here.
