2013 Riesling
The nose evokes an orchard in summertime: freshly cut sweet hay, green pear, Meyer lemon and orange blossoms. A weighty palate of ruby red grapefruit, ginger and sour candy follows with a lingering citrus finish.
Vintage
Vintage 2013 had both the merits and the challenges of our cool climate. Wet weather during bloom led to low yields, requiring minimal thinning. A warm, dry summer followed, with a long season ideal for developing delicate flavors and concentration.
Adam’s mantra of great winemaking “starting in the vineyard” rang true – each day he checked multiple weather reports and walked the vineyards, tasting and testing juice for flavor development and brix. The goal: carefully time picking to avoid dilution, splitting and rot, while achieving optimum physiological ripeness. Although Tropical Storm Pabuk broke 100-year rainfall records in late September, it had a minimal effect on fruit quality with less than 1/3 of our fruit coming in that week.
We don’t grow grapes here because it’s easy, but because of the beautiful, complex flavors we get from our Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and other cool-climate varietals. 2013 will likely be a year that gets mixed reviews, with comparisons to 2010 and 2011. Those in the know rely on these vintages for beautiful elegance, great freshness and amazing longevity.
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 back to 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 6-36 Years
- Harvest Sugars 22.5
- pH 3.04
- Vatting Whole-cluster pressed and cold fermented in small stainless steel tanks.
- Cases Produced 487
