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2008 Wind Ridge Vineyards Grüner Veltliner

(new release Summer 2009)

The Wine

Chehalem may not sound Austrian, but our table often carries an Austrian slant, with their exquisite whites, Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. We like to grow what we drink. We like to experiment and push the envelope. And so, here we present Chehalem Grüner Veltliner, estate grown and richly varietal. Year one. Ready for food.

The Vineyards

Wind Ridge is our newest estate vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, now contiguous to Ridgecrest by virtue of a 12-acre block touching both sites purchased in 2007. It is a 55-acre property, currently planted to Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Grüner Veltliner. Planting began in 2003 and continues today, with 20 acres currently planted. The 14 acres of Pinot Noir include 7+ acres of Dijon clones and 6+ acres of Pommard clone. Spacing is 2,200 plants per acre and vines are planted on 3309 rootstock. Soils are in the Willakenzie series, including Bellpine, Wellsdale, and other well to moderately drained ocean sedimentary soils. Excellent acidity and a finesseful texture and finish, despite sizeable extraction capabilities, should be hallmarks of the vineyard. Being relatively high in elevation at 500 to 600 feet, once mature, vines from this site will be harvested late in the season..

The Vintage

The 2008 vintage saw one of the coolest growing seasons on record, with 1,976 degree-days of heat during the growing season, versus the average for the last twelve years of 2,212 degree-days, and second only to 1,968 degree-days in 1999. This vintage resembles 1999 in the counterintuitive ripeness of the crop we finally harvested, and both vintages showed very good acid levels and excellent, full ripeness at lower sugars. Look for both whites and reds to excel this year, with very ageable wines, rich and complex from release to old age. Lower croploads, almost half-crop in nature, also similar to 1999, brought some of this richness, with harvest dates that were two-plus weeks later than average but not experiencing significant rainfall.

Stats

Harvest Data:

Harvested 10/08/2008 @ 21.2 brix, 3.15 pH, and 7.31 g/L TA, from 0.45 tons per acre cropload

Fermentation:

Tank fermented with SIHA7 yeast in a small stainless vessel

Cooperage/Aging:

None

Bottling:

Cold stabilized, filtered, and bottled 3/26/2009

Bottling Analyses:

13.0% alcohol, 3.10 pH, 7.3 g/L acid., 0.34% residual sugar

Cases Produced:

Suggested Retail:

$19 (TO ORDER)

Release Date:

Summer 2009

Winemaker's Comments

Our first harvest of GV, we’re surprisingly pleased, seeing characteristic grassiness, green apple, anise/fennel, hard candy, and herbal aromas and flavors, with hints of vanilla and pineapple. The weight is silky and soft, the acid good.

Quotes

Wine Advocate, August 2009, Jay Miller: 90. ...A spicy effort with dry, crisp, mineral-accented aromas and flavors. Ripe and well-balanced, this lengthy wine may well evolve for 1-2 years and drink well for five.

© CHEHALEM
31190 NE Veritas Lane • Newberg, OR 97132
Tasting Room (503) 538-4700 • Winery (503) 537-5553 • Fax (503) 537-0850