COLORS
ruby and garnet, clear
AROMAS
baking spices, dark cherry, black cardamom, sarsaparilla, and dried violets
FLAVORS
blackberry, blueberry, fig, plum, rosemary stems, dried lavender, and fresh vanilla bean
STRUCTURE
very round midpalate with subtle tannins; balanced wine overall
Food Pairing Ideas
- Fennel-Garlic Pork Roast
- Goat Cheese, Leek, and Walnut Tart
- French Onion Soup
2019 started off with a mild, early winter, but then was followed by a cold and wet second half. The growing season was warmer than average, although it did see a few frosts during late April. June and July had near-record precipitation amounts and brought disease pressure (powdery mildew) to the valley. Most winemakers will remember the 2019 vintage for the rains in September and the temperature drop in October, which created many challenges when making harvest decisions. The cooler vintage, along with the nightly temperatures being a bit warmer than normal, caused higher humidity levels and disease pressure throughout the Willamette Valley. Even with the humidity and possibility of disease, the vine stress is less this year (due to the rain.from June and July), which led to quality fruit and a spectacular harvest.
When the fruit comes in from the vineyard to the winery, the first thing we do is destem it – without crushing – into small I-ton fermenters. We use proprietary yeast, which we’ve cultured from that year’s vineyard samples. Using strains from our many vineyards gives us some complexity. Later in the fermentation process, we delestage. The result is large, soft tannins – just the kind we like. We rarely use new oak in our cellar as we much prefer the gentle aging achieved with neutral French oak. In addition our reserve wines are never filtered. Our goal for each wine is just the right amount of soft tannins, balanced with luscious fruit and bright acidity.
TECH SPECS:
Alc: 14%, TA: 5.5 g/L
pH: 3.66, RS: <0.2 (dry)
COMPOSITION:
100% Pinot Noir
VINEYARDS:
78.1% Daffodil Hill, 11.3% Hirschy, 6% Dux, 2% Menefee, 1% Lazy River, 1% Weber, 0.6% Riverside
AVA:
Willamette Valley
CASES PRODUCED:
1512
SUSTAINABLY FARMED
We make wines that reflect the character of the land where they’re grown, using only naturally cultivated yeast and sustainable farming practices.
NO SUGAR ADDED
Our red wines are fermented to dryness and contain no added sugars.
100% Plant-Based. No animal products are used in making our wines.
Sulfur is a natural by-product of grape fermentation. To maintain freshness and prevent harmful bacteria from occurring, we add minimal sulfur (100 parts per million) to the wine. By comparison, this is significantly less sulfur found on any dried fruit like raisins or apricots.
We let the grapes speak for themselves.
We never add any color, flavoring, alcohol or preservatives other than sulfur, to our wines.
No products containing gluten are used in making our wines.
