Harvest 2005

In great contrast to 2004, the 2005 vintage developed slowly on the vine and was never subjected to the heat we saw a year earlier. Accordingly, the fruit was able to take its time in developing complex flavor and depth, with harvest occurring in the more normal October time period. With less heat and more rain, mildew pressure was high during the growing season and calling the time to pick was complicated considering rains that returned after the cool summer.

Pinot Noir

We picked our 2005 Pinot Noir on October 7, 2005, while watching for signs of mildew and trying to allow as much hangtime as possible. The fruit came into the winery in beautiful condition and we were extremely pleased with the harvest!

Pinot Gris

Our Pinot Gris harvest seemed like it was never going to arrive. Again, a cooler summer gave the fruit generous hangtime to further develop its flavor profile and maturity. We finally harvested the Pinot Gris on October 20, 2005. Yields were improved in 2005 but still low at 1.64 tons to the acre. The good news, once again, was that the fruit was absolutely outstanding! The wine was carefully fermented in French Oak and allowed to age on its lies for about seven months. We were delighted when the 2005 Pinot Gris turned out just as good as the superb 2004 vintage. Both quickly sold out.

Semillion

The surprise of 2005 came during the summer when we learned we would have an opportunity to access Semillion fruit from the famed Klipsun Vineyards in eastern Washington’s Red Mountain Region. With our strong commitment to quality, we realized we could produce a unique and fine late harvest wine that is not common in this area. Laurant Monalieu, our consulting winemaker, guided the harvest of these grapes in late October and began the long road of crafting this fruit into a Sauternes-style wine. It was slowly fermented in cool conditions in French Oak and is now aging. This beautiful nectar is striking with a caramel, butterscotch, and pear nose. We look forward to its continued evolution into a beautiful wine you will not want to miss when it is released in 2007!