2005 La Bohème

89 Points “…finely sculpted, tart and tangy red fruit, and a wine that is proportionate and detailed.”
– Wine Enthusiast (November 15, 2007)

90 Points “Bright red. Meaty cherry and cured meat scents are complemented by bright violet and musky earth tones…”
– Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar (April 30, 2007)

93 Points “…A deep and interesting Pinot with great complexity.”
– Pinot Report (February 15, 2008)

Vintage

2005 was an interesting year, with one of the driest winters and wettest springs on record! And unlike recent vintages that brought warmer weather, early ripeness and higher alcohol, this year’s harvest occurred later than most expected, resulting in cooler temperatures that will lead to lower alcohol levels, structured acidity and ideal flavor development. Vintage 2005 in the Willamette Valley will be a return to finesse and elegance, which has long characterized classic Oregon wines. Winemaker Adam Godlee Campbell states, “these are not the big block buster pinots of 2003. Instead they are pretty, food-friendly wines with great aging potential, showing a purity of fruit.”

Vineyard

We planted La Bohème Vineyard in 1985 by selecting the very best vines from our original Estate Pommard plantings. Pat and Joe Campbell named the vineyard after the family who sold them the property – and their favorite Puccini opera. This picturesque vineyard overlooks the winery and the coast range mountains and rises to 800 feet, making it one of the highest elevation vineyard sites in the Willamette Valley. La Bohème was planted using cuttings from vines selected for small cluster size and intense flavors, hallmarks of the world’s finest Pinot Noirs. We prune and cluster-thin La Bohème heavily to limit yields and to maximize ripening and flavor concentration.

Winemaking

All of Elk Cove’s delicate Pinot Noir fruit undergoes the same gentle handling through our gravity flow system. This allows us to achieve the elegance, texture and luscious quality that are the hallmarks of exquisite Pinot Noir.

Fruit from the La Bohème vineyard is fermented in small, temperature controlled steel tanks, hand punched down twice daily then aged for ten months in 50% new French oak. Our winemaking team then selects the very best barrels to represent the silky, lush flavor profile that exemplifies La Bohème pinot noir.

Viticultural & Enological Data

Vine Age 20 years
Yield 2.1 tons/acre
Harvest Sugars 22.6 Brix
pH 3.77
Vatting Fermentation in small open top steel fermenters. 10 months in French oak.
Cases Produced 919 Six-Bottle Cases

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