2011 Windhill
Ripe Italian plum, juicy blackcurrent, peppery and woodsy on the nose. Compared to the 2010, the 2011 Wind Hill is more intense and vibrant and tends more to the fruity side of Wind Hill, while retaining the spicy herbal tones this vineyard is known for.
Vintage
In 2011, sunny spring weather brought good fruit-set and large, compact clusters at Elk Cove. Both 2010 and 2011 were unusually cool compared to the long-term average, but 2011 found “nice weather” late in the season, allowing the fruit to hang for 15 additional days and develop fantastic flavors with great pH and acid balance in the wines. Even with multiple rounds of thinning, yields were up in 2011 because of the great fruit-set and lower migratory bird pressure.
Elk Cove owner/winemaker Adam Campbell explains : “In 2011 we were still bringing in white wine grapes early in November. I expected more herbal notes in the white wines due to the cool growing season, but surprisingly, the wines came out of fermentation showing the classic stone-fruit and tropical flavors we expect.” Vintage 2011 reminded Oregon winegrowers, once again, that patience is often richly rewarded in the wines.
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 37 Years
- Yield 1.75 tons/acre
- Harvest Sugars 23 brix
- pH 3.53
- Vatting Fermentation in small open top steel fermenters. 10 months in French oak.
- Cases Produced 201
