2017 Pinot Noir Reserve
Cassis, blackberry, brioche and toasted sugar introduce this polished and posh wine dense with huckleberry jam, green tea, and pipe tobacco on the concentrated palate.
Our winemaking team considers barrels from all of our estate plantings to make the Reserve our very best Pinot Noir. In 2017, the final blend included three barrels from our Clay Court Vineyard and two each from Mount Richmond, Goodrich and our Winery Estate (La Bohème and Roosevelt) and a single barrel from the old vines at our Five Mountain Vineyard.
Vintage
VINTAGE 2017 was a classic Oregon vintage with plenty of sunny days and refreshingly cool nights. It was also the first year our wines were 100% estate grown, created entirely from grapes we own and farm. We now have full control as we care for our vineyards and soils for generations to come. “Estate Grown” is now proudly displayed on each of our labels.
After three early harvests in a row, 2017 brought us back to what many consider “classic Oregon weather.” A wet, cool spring led to a late start to the growing season with an early June bloom. Dry, hot weather in July and August meant great ripening as we thinned clusters to protect quality. Worries of smoke taint during the Columbia Gorge fires proved unfounded in our area, but hazy skies slowed September ripening slightly.
We began bringing in fruit in mid-September but were interrupted by rain a few times in late September and mid-October. With 40+ vintages under our belts and hillside vineyards at diverse elevations, we were able to choose the right windows to pick beautifully ripe fruit from each block. Sometimes this meant pulling long hours: in fact, October 9th was our biggest day on record, with 110 tons landing on the crush-pad. Expect ripe tannins, fully developed flavors and classic cool climate freshness in these 2017 vintage wines.
Vineyard
VINEYARD: Our winemaking team considers barrels from all of our estate plantings to make the Reserve our very best Pinot Noir. In 2017, the final blend included three barrels from our Clay Court Vineyard and two each from Mount Richmond, Goodrich and our Winery Estate (La Bohème and Roosevelt) and a single barrel from the old vines at our Five Mountain Vineyard.
Winemaking
WINEMAKING: We only make a Reserve in exceptional years, selecting less than 1% of our Pinot Noir to make the best wine we can imagine, balancing diverse components from our best vineyard blocks.
“This wine is made from the finest 10 barrels in our cellar. It’s a parallel blending process to our Willamette Valley Pinot, but with an extremely small volume. You can taste the Mount Richmond black fruit, but there’s also Clay Court red fruit showing through. I love to think of this wine 15-20 years down the track since we make our Reserve with longevity in mind.”
– Owner/Winemaker Adam Campbell
Our Reserve is both big and structured, designed to improve with cellaring for 20+ years.
Viticultural & Enological Data
- Vine Age 8-43 years
- Harvest Sugars 24 brix
- pH 3.58
- Vatting Fermentation in small open top steel fermentors. 10 months in 30% new French oak
- Cases Produced 205
