The aromatics are immediate. Waves of brooding red fruits; cranberry, crushed raspberries, and steeped cherry are layered with further primary notes of blood orange and dried rose petal. There are undertones of five spice, earth and toasted grain. On the palate, you can feel the saturated red fruits, blood orange and dried rose move around the deeper, structured yet quieter notes of peonies, tobacco, white pepper and sarsaparilla. There is a density with complete clarity to the flavor and aroma, something that I absolutely adore about the magic of the pinot noir grape. In time this continues to open revealing weightless and seamless red fruits and savor.
Viticulture
All dry-farmed, and representing four AVAs. Average vine age is 19 years.
Bracken Vineyard - 2016 - Volcanic Soils
Johan Vineyards - 2006 - Sedimentary Soils
Vojtilla Vineyard - 1991 - Volcanic Soils
Stormy Morning Vineyard - 2001 - Sedimentary Soils
Eight Clones of Pinot Noir in total. 115 makes up at least 50% of the blend, and represents the binder of this bottling and our Pinot Noir program. 115 we find through years of fermentation and aging research,allows the individual vineyards and blocks to shine through when farmed effectively for each site. Treated gently, the 115 clone is transcendent. The other clones are very important as they can allow for higher
acidity, a certain fruit density or spice to add to the layers of complexity. Sometimes these excel to make
complete wines for us on the right site. We find:
Pommard lends structure and an intense fruit forward profile
Wädenswil lends spice and floral notes
Mariafeld lends a lift given its strong acidity
Swan offers a saturated red fruit profile and soft tannins
943 offers concentration and impact given the low yields. Hens and Chicks are always common.
828 offers high acidity and dark fruits
777 offers small compact clusters yielding dark berry notes and huge aromatic lift
115 offers a full list of colors in the fruits and spice; red, blue black. It can be very balanced and complete without the addition of the other clones.
9% Johan Vineyards (115/Pommard) Van Duzer AVA - Biodynamic
12% Vojtilla Vineyard (115) Chehalem Mountains AVA - Uncertified Organic
16% Bracken Vineyard (115/777/Pommard) Eola-Amity AVA - Uncertified Organic
63% Stormy Morning Vineyard (115/777/828/943/Mariafeld/Swan/Pommard/Wädenswil)
Vinification
Fermented in 1.5-2 ton lots for 3-4 weeks. Some pump-overs and punchdowns for cap management.
100% destemmed fruit.
Raised in x1 1000 Liter Stockinger (Austrian Wood) Foudre (New) | x1 680 Liter Concrete Egg | x1 350
Liter New Puncheon | x3 new 228 Liter Barrels | x22 neutral 228 Liter Barrels * All wood vessels are
very tight grain and sourced from the highest quality and most sustainable forests in France and Austria.
The length of curing and drying, paramount to quality wood, is top notch with the coopers we source from
(3 years +)
65% Neutral Wood | 26% New Wood (49% of which is a larger and more subtle foudre) | 9%
Concrete Egg