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2002 Stoller Vineyards Pinot Noir

(updated May 1, 2006)

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The Wine

This single vineyard designate is predominantly from the densest plantings of pinot noir at our Stoller Vineyard and provides great concentration of fruit, with good acid backbone. There typically is an earthy, sweet cherry fruit core, soft and broad, with occasional threads of herb.

The Vineyard

Stoller Vineyards is our newest, and therefore most viticulturally advanced, of the three estate vineyards. A south-sloping, 115 acre vineyard on a 350 acre parcel, Stoller Vineyards commands a dominating view of the southern end of the Red Hills of Dundee, giving it regular comparison to Burgundy's Corton Hill. Stoller Vineyards is planted on Jory soil, with a touch of Nekia, both deep, red volcanic soil types. In tightly spaced plantings, utilizing varied rootstocks and drip irrigation, vines have every advantage on this site. Formerly a turkey farm, the vineyard is owned by winery partners Bill and Cathy Stoller.

The Vintage

2002 is an amazing vintage, characterized by an early, warm growing season, a spurt of rain prior to the harvest period that served to stabilize sugars, acids and pHs, and a dry, long harvest period with cool-to-moderate temperatures that allowed us to pick at precisely timed points for ultimate ripeness. For example, pinot noir was picked over a full month, from September 26 through October 26. Healthy croploads permitted full ripeness over this extended harvest, with excellent concentration and retained acidities. (For more, see the Spring 2004 newsletter feature article, The 2002 Vintage, As Good As They Say?)

Stats

Harvest Data:

Harvested from 9/26-10/6/2002 @ 22.4-25.2 brix, 3.42-3.48 pH, and 5.7-6.9 g/l TA, from 2.9-3.7 tons per acre cropload

Fermentation:

Average of 11 days total fermentation with 5 days pre maceration

Cooperage/Aging:

11 months in barrel, with one racking, in 40% new French oak barrels, 75% new and 1 year prior use

Wine Selection:

Selected barrels from five fermentation lots, 88% Dijon clones/12% Pommard, and 100% high density fruit

Bottling:

Bottled 9/8/2003

Bottling Analyses:

14.1% alcohol, 5.6 g/l TA, 3.70 pH

Cases Produced:

809

Suggested Retail:

$39

Release Date:

August, 2004

Winemaker's Comments

The best Stoller Vineyards bottling we've done. Brilliant, deep purple/garnet colors, with red-black fruits on the nose (black! It's finally happening with maturity.); rich, dense blackberry fruit with the characteristic Stoller marker of slight herbal, chocolate, earth aromatics; three dimensional, rich, viscous, but with good acid structure and bright lift on the palate; fine tannin for aging (again, a sign of maturity). Very pleased.

Quotes

Wine Spectator, May 15, 2006, “Seduction in a Glass”: 92. Harry Peterson-Nedry is one of the pioneers, and his exemplary estate vineyards in the Chehalem Mountain AVA make an elegant style.

Burghound.com, October 2004, Allen Meadows: 88. There is a bit more of everything here though the style is quite similar with more balance, more elegance and more complexity to the supple, forward, easy and precise middle weight flavors and ripe finish that coats the mouth. This is really quite pretty in an understated fashion.

The Wine Advocate, October 2004, Pierre Rovani: 91+. ...densely packed, plump, and satin textured, this is broad, lush decadent effort. Loads of expressive darks fruits are intermingled with spices...