VINTAGE REPORT

2009    

Spring blossomed in 2009 gloriously warm boosting the vines into early budbreak. Summer stayed warm occasionally punctuated by rain until the heat came in earnest with record highs. The first part of August cooled down with rain followed by sun until Labor Day when a late summer heat wave pushed temperatures back into the 90's. We achieved almost record hang time in most vineyards creating much work and green thinning passes in the vineyards to keep yields in line at an average of 2.5 tons per acre. It was a long harvest and the results can be tasted in the wines which exhibit elegance, beautiful balance and softness.

2008    

Throughout the state, the 2008 growing season will be a vintage to remember. Although budbreak was pushed back in the northern part of the state, Southern Oregon vineyards were right on time. By bloom, sunny weather brought the Willamette Valley vineyards up to speed. The Willamette Valley experienced one of the longest harvests on record but in some Southern Oregon vineyards harvest was nipped a bit early with frost. Due to very small berries, the Northern part of the state brought in lower than projected yields measuring 1-1.5 tons per acre. Southern Oregon experienced a larger crop around 3 tons per acre. Throw in the lateness of the vintage, the absolute fantastic weather and the lack of disease and, all in all, the 2008 vintage is one for the record books.

2007    

A wet damp spring necessitated more sprays than normal to keep mildew at bay in a challenging year. We had great weather for flowering and set a good crop in the Willamette Valley although the Southern Oregon crop was smaller and had a reduction in cluster and berry size. Harvest was difficult with slow picking around storms. For those who kept up with the summer’s challenges, contained the disease pressure and waited to pick, there was little rot and some high brix levels in the vineyards. We closed out the harvest in the Willamette Valley on Halloween. Southern Oregon was a different story with great weather and a slow even ripening of epic importance even besting the great 2006 vintage.

2006    

The 2006 Oregon growing season started late and wet but offered great weather for flowering setting the largest crop that we have seen in a few years with abundant but not large clusters. A gorgeous summer heated dramatically in June and July, but cooled appreciably in August to begin a soft slow slide into harvest. The Willamette Valley heated up again pushing the small berries into overdrive and launching an early harvest for Pinot noir. Whites benefited from some cooling and a bit of rain taking their time to retain beautiful acid/ripeness balance. Southern Oregon never heated up like the Willamette Valley and enjoyed a slow, even, full ripening of epic importance creating the finest vintage in recent memory there.

2005    

Cold, wet weather made for a late budbreak and flowering with shatter that translated into low yields for the second year in a row. Mildew threatened into July with a cooler summer than normal. It turned hotter towards the end of August and the beginning of September but picking did not begin until October. It was then interrupted by a bit of rain and cold but finished gloriously well into November under beautiful skies. These ended up being some of the best wines we have seen for years.  

2004    

The 2004 vintage was anything but typical.  The spring was early and warm.  However, rain during flowering resulted in the worst shatter Oregon has experienced for years bringing very low yields, about half of normal.  A hot summer seemed to promise an early harvest and for a small portion it did before the weather turned cold and rainy.  Luckily the rain did not last that long and we were able to harvest well into October under beautiful skies.  The wines from this vintage will be classical Oregon. 

2003    

The 2003 vintage was the most interesting harvest since 1997. The growing season can be summed up with one word: hot. Spring was warm so that budbreak and flowering progressed unimpeded to yield an abundant crop. Summer brought hot weather that lasted through most of harvest, which was accelerated by a hot east wind. Higher elevations and older vineyards ripened more slowly but generally harvest came on quickly. The clusters were perfect with more tropical and mango notes than normal. The slight dehydration of the grapes made for more concentrated flavors and, most importantly, an underlying ripe acidity making for a tremendous vintage.

2002    

The 2002 vintage was blessed with a faultless growing season that carried into a beautiful harvest. The fine weather at harvest not only allowed the grapes to be picked when they achieved a brilliant amount of sugar but also when the flavors and tannins had become truly physiologically ripe. Healthy, concentrated, and thick-skinned, the clusters were incredible. All over Oregon the 2002 vintage was near perfect and will certainly be remembered as one of the best in the history of this relatively new area of Oregon viticulture.

2001    

The 2001 was a difficult growing season, which, luckily, morphed into a beautiful harvest.  The spring of 2001 was challenging due to heavy and constant rains necessitating much work in the vineyard.  The late spring turned into a cool and late summer. However, the sun came out for harvest and while some of the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir suffered in the heat, mostly healthy and concentrated small berried bunches were brought to the winery in nearly faultless condition.