2011 Riesling
The 2011 Estate Riesling has more prominent fruit than in other years. Aromas of honeysuckle & anise followed by perky flavors of ripe stone fruits & citrus on the palate, with a cleansing finish of jasmine green tea.
2013 Bloomberg News Muse
“Elk Cove’s pinot noirs have an outstanding reputation, but I’m almost as impressed by their Estate riesling, which has plenty of aroma, fruit and spices, and at 12 percent alcohol is a wine I’d like to keep around for a couple of years to see if it develops into something even finer. Right now, if grilled salmon were on the plate, this riesling would be in the glass.”
– John Mariani, for Bloomberg News Muse
– Bloomberg News (August 18, 2013)
Vintage
In 2011, sunny spring weather brought good fruit-set and large, compact clusters at Elk Cove. After a cool summer, late-season sun allowed the fruit to hang for 15 additional days compared to 2010. The fruit developed fantastic flavors with great pH and acid balance. Even after multiple rounds of thinning, yields were up in 2011 because of the great fruit-set and relatively few migratory birds consuming the crops. According to Elk Cove winemaker Adam Campbell “In 2011 we were still bringing in white wine grapes in early November. Although I expected more herbal notes in the wines due to the overall cool growing season, the wines came out of fermentation showing the classic flavors we love.” Vintage 2011 reminded Oregon winegrowers that patience is often richly rewarded in the wines.
Vineyard
Our Riesling Estate is made from hand-picked fruit from three of our estate vineyards: Elk Cove Estate, Five Mountain and Windhill. Our Riesling vines are some of the oldest in Oregon, with our Estate and Windhill vines dating from 1975. These older vines give us fruit with a delightful complexity not often seen in domestic Rieslings.
Winemaking
We have the perfect climate for this delicate cool weather white wine – there’s enough sunlight and warmth for ripening, but our cool evenings help us retain the delicate varietal character. We whole-cluster press our Riesling grapes, then ferment the juice at very cool temperatures in small stainless steel tanks, producing an aromatic, crisp Riesling with a beautiful acid profile.
Viticultural & Enological Data
- Vine Age 36 years
- Yield 2.5 tons/acre
- Harvest Sugars 21.5 Brix
- pH 3.01
- Vatting Whole-cluster pressed and cold fermented in small stainless steel tanks.
- Cases Produced 800
