Wine Notes > Pinot Gris > Current Release
2008 3 Vineyard Pinot Gris
(new release May 2009)
The Wine
Pinot Gris is one of the wines for which we are best known. We make it in a style as close to Alsace as possible, working to get weight on the palate, while retaining fruit flavors and acidity, and harvested ripe to give full, viscous wines with light spice flavors and long finishes. We consider Pinot Gris a universal food wine. In an increasingly popular style, this bright, stainless-steel fermented Pinot Gris combines Corral Creek, Ridgecrest, and Stoller Vineyards fruit.
The Vineyards
Fruit comes from our three Estate Vineyards: Ridgecrest, Stoller and Corral Creek, blended into a fully-complemented wine. The estate vineyards are planted on three different soil types, which provides complementary elements in resulting wines: Ridgecrest on Willakenzie, Stoller on Jory, and Corral Creek on Laurelwood. The interaction of clone and site add great complexity, consistency and fullness of character to blends of Pinot gris, especially in an excellent vintage.
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 10/08–10/12/2008 from 48% Stoller, 29% Corral Creek, and 23% Ridgecrest sites @ 21.6–22.7 brix, 3.1–3.36 pH, and 6.4–7.3 g/L TA, from 1.03–3.06 tons per acre cropload
Fermentation:
Tank fermented with VL3 yeast
Cooperage/Aging:
None
Bottling:
Cold stabilized and filtered, bottled 3/25/2009
Bottling Analyses:
13.48% alcohol, 7.0 g/L TA, 3.30 pH, 0.7% residual sugar
Cases Produced:
2,196
Suggested Retail:
$17 (TO ORDER)
Release Date:
May 2009
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31190 NE Veritas Lane • Newberg, OR 97132
Tasting Room (503) 538-4700 • Winery (503) 537-5553 • Fax (503) 537-0850
Winemaker's Comments
The stereotypical cool-climate Pinot Gris, focused on fruit, flowers, acid, and perfect balance. The wine is platinum, rich in texture and bright in nature, with aromas and flavors covering a complex spectrum of white and yellow fruits and flowers and spice. Look for mineral, ginger, grapefruit, orange peel, sea spray, and exotic fruits like papaya, banana, satsumas, honeydew melon—even lemon meringue pie and spiced pears. A lush fruit sweetness and great acid balance make the wine full and long on the palate, finishing dry and clean.
Quotes
Wine Enthusiast, December 2009, Paul Gregutt: 91. The unusually cool vintage seems to have heightened and focused the white wines. This stainless steel-fermented wine is vivid and fresh, with complex fruits, orange peel, citrus, suggestions of ginger and even (as the winery points out) sea spray, this has it all. Editors' Choice
Wine Spectator, December 2009, Harvey Steiman: 90. Light and bright, with a creamy edge to the lemon and melon flavors. Finishes with a nice hint of spice. Smart Buy
Ken's Wine Guide, February 2010: KWG Score = 91.5 (based on 4 reviews) / Ken's Wine Rating = Very Good+ (91). This pale yellow colored Pinot Gris was very well received at a party I recently attended. It opens with a fragrant Bartlett pear-like bouquet. On the palate, this wine is light bodied and very nicely balanced. The flavor profile is a tasty green apple with notes of Bartlett pear and lime. There was also a touch of minerality sprinkled in that added to its complexity. The finish is dry and very refreshing. The group thought this wine would pair well with garlic roasted chicken. Enjoy.
California Grapevine, December 2009 - January 2010: Very highly Recommended. Medium-light yellow; attractive, floral, fragrant, citrusy, tropcial, honeydew melon and Asian pear aroma with hints of quince and ginger; medium--full body; slightly viscous, pear, kiwi, and lime flavors with a touch of residual sugar for a slightly rounded mouhtfeel; lingering aftertaste. Very hightly recommended. (Group score: 16.2, 4/6/1; My Score 17 [90/100], first place)
New York Times, February 3, 2010: 2 STARS. Balanced with earthy flavors of anise and other herbs.