Harvest 2007

Hailing as one of the most challenging farming years in a long time, the 2007 vintage shows great promise and will display many of the great attributes Pinot Noir is known for, when it is allowed to ripen slowly and develop its finesse and beauty.

One thing that is a constant in Oregon that you have to love is that no two vintages are ever the same – 2007 did not disappoint in that regard! This year brought us more rain in the late season than we’ve seen in many years.  The vintage tested farmers’ and winemakers’ patience and resolve with the result being, we believe, a highly variable and beautiful vintage of Pinot Noir.  A common theme for us this year was careful staging of harvest dates that were paced and not rushed, thereby allowing for optimal balance between fruit maturity and the affect of the rains.

ArborBrook’s Estate Vineyard

Picking on three carefully selected dates from our Estate Vineyard, we are very pleased with what we’re seeing thus far. Our first pick came in on September 27 before the first heavy rains hit. We harvested the first 20 rows of the vineyard where fruit had been thinned to just one cluster per shoot.  The second pick was on October 4 during a pause in the rains. This pick consisted of 50% of the remaining 68 rows. The fruit was in beautiful condition with little impact from the rain due to temperatures remaining low enough to offset any beginnings of botrytis.  For our third pick, we exercised faith and waited out the rain, attempting to gain more phenolic maturity. Patience paid off and the remaining fruit was harvested on October 14.  Each pick remains separate at this point, aging in a combination of rotary fermentors, along with new, second-, and third-year French oak barrels. Each lot is displaying outstanding characteristics that will contribute to another outstanding vintage.  We look forward to barrel-tasting with you Memorial Day Weekend ’08!

A New Venture!

This year, we were fortunate to have an opportunity to source a small amount of fruit from Hyland Vineyard, one of Oregon’s oldest vineyards.  This vineyard is located in the McMinnville AVA and is situated at a higher elevation than our Estate vineyard.  The fruit was harvested on October 5 and October 11 to again provide time for proper maturity. The differences in soil types, elevations, and clones (Coury and Dijon 115) will offer us an opportunity to produce a Pinot Noir that shows different flavor profiles.   We are excited to see how this special, limited bottling turns out!

Pinot Gris

Our 2007 vintage of Pinot Gris is a continuation of our commitment to making two styles of this flavorful varietal. Embracing the differences of two terriors within the Willamette Valley, we have produced two vineyard designated wines that are sourced from two renowned vineyards in Oregon:  ANA Vineyard in the Dundee Hills, and Croft Vineyard, located near Monmouth.  Both vineyards are over 20 years old and are known for consistently producing amazing, high quality fruit.

The ANA Vineyard Pinot Gris was harvested on October 13 and is again displaying the gorgeous fruit characteristics that we have come to expect from this outstanding 23 year old vineyard, located in the heart of the Dundee Hills.  Barrel-fermented in French oak, this wine is now aging and will be released in July 2008.  300 cases produced.

The Croft Vineyard Pinot Gris, harvested October 12, was fermented in stainless steel and is fresh and alive with citrus fruit flavors.  These vines are also more than 20 years old and are planted in Bellpine (sedimentary) soil that is different from the Jory (volcanic) soil found in the Dundee Hills.  We’re looking forward to its release in May 2008.

Our “Sydney” is Back!

2007 saw us return to the renowned Klipsun Vineyards, located in the Red Mountain AVA in Eastern Washington for more incredible Semillon needed to produce our “Sydney” Sauternes-style dessert wine that quickly sold out last year! Waiting until November 28 for harvest, this late season fruit endured snow and wind in its final days on the vine and arrived at the winery in gorgeous condition.  We are very excited about this wine, which is in its early stages.  We are once again slowly fermenting in French oak barrels and barrel aging will be extended with release anticipated for May 2009.