2005 Windhill

89 Points “…It’s very distinctive, elegant and stylish…”
– Wine Enthusiast (November 15, 2007)

88 Points
– Wine & Spirits (September 30, 2007)

89 Points “Bright red. Pungently floral nose offers deep cheery and strawberry aromas and an exotic hint of sandalwood…”
– Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar (April 30, 2007)

Silver Medal
– Hilton Head Food & Wine Festival (January 31, 2007)

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

Elk Cove has produced single vineyard pinots from this beautiful hillside vineyard in Banks, Oregon since 1979. Wind Hill Vineyard was planted near the Hartwick Resevoir in 1974 by the Reese family, Oregon winegrowing pioneers, and was purchased by Elk Cove in 1996. South-facing slopes, volcanic soils, mid-level elevation (500 feet) and low yields make Wind Hill a superior vineyard site. We have farmed this vineyard using completely organic practices since 1999. Our Wind Hill Pinot Noir is produced from 4 acres of the oldest Pommard clone Pinot Noir vines on the property.

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.

We produce this single vineyard wine using only pommard clone Pinot Noir grapes from our Wind Hill Vineyard. The wine is fermented in small, temperature controlled steel tanks, hand punched down twice daily then aged for ten months in 50% new French oak. Finally, our winemaking team blends only those barrels most representative of the spicy character and herbal tones of Wind Hill’s classic pinot noir fruit.

Viticultural & Enological Data

Vine Age 31 years
Yield 2.6 tons/acre
Harvest Sugars 22.6 Brix
pH 3.68
Vatting Fermentation in small open top steel fermenters. 10 months in French oak.
Cases Produced 975 Six-Bottle Cases

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2005 Windhill

Accolades

Wine Enthusiast

Wine & Spirits

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Hilton Head Food & Wine Festival