Saturday, December 11, 2010

2010 Vintage Recap

The 2010 growing season was one of the longest on record, with early bud break followed by late bloom and the latest harvest start in our 21 years of winemaking. Yes, it was a cool vintage, but that is one of the things that makes Oregon so special; it focuses flavors and intensifies the structure of our wines. Our continued commitment to dry farming gives us vines with deep root systems that contribute to the natural resilience of the plants themselves as well as to the soil structure. Cool weather, combined with longer hang-time provided slow, even development, free from heat spikes, giving us wines of elegance and finesse. Through clonal diversity, exacting vineyard management, and meticulous winemaking techniques we feel that the 2010’s have achieved wonderful flavor development, age-worthy acid structure, well developed tannins and the lower alcohols commonly associated with Oregon wines. Yes, 2010 will have lower alcohol without sacrificing flavor. Only nature can pull this off with elegance and balance.