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2005 Oregon Pinot Noir Reserve

(new release March 2008)

The Wine

We look for this wine to embody the essence of Pinot Noir. Select barrels and fermentation lots are chosen from Ridgecrest Vineyards before any blending is done in the cellar. We choose components to make a wine that epitomizes finesse, elegance, complexity, textural silkiness, and palate breadth and length for the vintage. We think these elements are what Pinot Noir is all about—not as big and macho as we can make it, but as beautiful and feminine as we can make it. Its balance makes it optimally ageable.

NOTE: Beginning with the 2002 vintage, we gave Patrice RION his name back, having thanked him for 8 vintages for help he gave in the mid-1990s by naming this wine for him — his new negoçiant brand would seem to benefit from fewer Rions in the marketplace. Thanks again, Patrice.

The Vineyard

Our Reserve uses fruit primarily from Ridgecrest Vineyards, our oldest estate vineyard, a 55-acre vineyard on a 176-acre property. Beginning in 1980, this site pioneered grapegrowing on Ribbon Ridge, a small ridge on the western end of the Chehalem Mountains. Soils are a Willakenzie soil called Wellsdale, a transition soil series exhibiting characteristics of both volcanic and ocean sedimentary underlying structures. The rich, supple black cherry and blackberry fruits are characteristic of Ridgecrest Vineyards and the Willakenzie soil type. Excellent acidity, silky texture, and a long finish are hallmarks of the vineyard site, being relatively high in elevation, mature in vine age, and deeply rooted.

The Vintage

2005 was an old-style Oregon vintage, warming the cockles of the hearts of industry old folks like me as much as the coffee we drank. Cooler and damper than the average modern vintage, mature winemakers and mature vineyards understood and adjusted to the weather, giving the grapes a chance to fully ripen and working magic to assure clean fruit. Experience should show with our three classic estate vineyards. Great extraction, great acid, lower alcohols (no Pinots above the 13%s!) — expect wines of finesse and ageability.

Stats

Harvest Data:

Harvested 10/12–10/17/2005, fruit coming from Ridgecrest Vineyards (78%), Corral Creek (14%), and Stoller Vineyards (8%), with sugars of 22.6–24.1 brix; acids of 6.1–6.9 g/L; pHs of 3.27–3.51; from yields of 1.7–3.0 tons/acre

Fermentation:

13–15 days total skin contact, with 7–10 days of that pre-maceration, native ferments on Ridgecrest and Stoller fruit and RC212 yeast with Corral Creek; average 20% whole cluster

Cooperage/Aging:

Aged for 10 months in French oak, with 58% new, 88% new or once-used barrels

Clonal Selection:

Pommard, Wadenswil, 115

Bottling:

Bottled 9/5/2006

Bottling Analyses:

13.4% alcohol, 3.65 pH, and 6.0 g/L TA

Cases Produced:

570 cases

Suggested Retail:

$60 (TO ORDER)

Release Date:

March 2008

Winemaker's Comments

An ager from a cooler vintage, with great balance, seamless integration of fruit, and fine tannin and acid. The aromas are lifted cherries, spice, dried herbs and flowers, and earth with floral and savory characteristics. Fleshy red cherry, currant, and raspberry fruits on the palate, with touches of brown spice and chocolate. The mid-palate is low-slung, smaller than fatty hot vintages, but very well structured with leathery, fine wood and fruit tannin, and acid. Finish and overall impressions are of a long-distance runner, not a courtesan.

Quotes

Pinot Report, February 15, 2008, Gregory S. Walter: 93. Medium ruby color; deep, earthy cherry and tea notes; deep, rich, cherry flavors with tea and earthy notes; sweet oak, good structure and balance; long finish. Deep and earthy, this is a rich Pinot with some time ahead.

The Wine Advocate, October 2007, Jay Miller: 92. Medium ruby-colored, it has a complex bouquet of pain grille, violets, roses, cherry, and raspberry. The wine is elegant, medium-bodied, silky, and altogether hedonistic. It has the structure to improve for several years and will provide pleasure...

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2008, Josh Raynolds: 91. Light, bright red. Zesty redcurrant and wild strawberry on the nose, picking up gentle floral and herbal nuances with air. Tangy and focused, with pure red berry and dusty mineral flavors, light tannins and a late note of floral pastille. Finishes clean and brisk, with excellent persistence.

Wine Enthusiast, February 2008, Paul Gregutt: 90. ...It's got bulk and power, and I like the way it gathers strength in the mid-palate and on through the finish. It has pretty cherry fruit and good concentration.

San Francisco Chronicle, October 3, 2008, Oregon Pinot Noir, Lynne Char Bennett: TWO AND A HALF STARS. Dry forest floor, leaves, red plum, sweet cherry and strawberry tart aromas and flavors. Good structure; may have a bit of greenness that coarsens the tannins but also adds distinction.

Northwest Palate, November/December 2007: Recommended. Deep and classic Pinot Noir scents of dark cherry fruit and roasted meat are strong and appealing. Sweet and forward black cherry flavors provide an excellent follow-through from the nose. Added notes of blackberry, tea, and tobacco leaf are nicely layered. Good acidity, forward tannins, and a long finish make this a smooth and elegant Pinot...

Wine Press Northwest, Winter 2007/2008: Recommended. ... It opens with deep aromas of leather, coffee, minerally earth and dark fruit. On the palate are flavors of black cherries and blackberries. It's a wine with darker tones and a fair bit of oak still showing. This is a seriously good wine that still needs to stretch its legs. No doubt this will continue to evolve in the bottle.

Bloomberg.com, August 14, 2008, Pinotphiles Gather to Cherr on Oregon's Elegant, Fruity Reds, Elin McCoy: "Oregon is America's spot for pinot noirs with finess and elegance," superstar Burgundy winemaker Dominique Lafon tells me... After immersing my taste buds in a couple of hundred pinots at Oregon's 22nd International Pinot Noir Celebration last month, I pretty much agree.... Many wines were outstanding, including the...minerally 2005 Chehalem Reserve.