Wine Notes > Pinot Noir > Previous Release
2007 3 Vineyard Pinot Noir
(new release October 2008)
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The Wine
This is our most widely distributed and earliest available Pinot Noir. It is a wine blended from all of our vineyards and bottled before the single-vineyard and reserve wines. The complementary nature of the lots that go into this blend is obvious in its full, early integration and its occasionally being considered superior to single-vineyard wines. ALL Pinots are made with the same care, receive the same oak, are from the same Estate Vineyards, etc. — the 3 Vineyard represents the very populist notion that egos and individuality may elevate some brothers and sisters, but the rest of us together are just as wise and powerful, sometimes even more so. Beginning in 2003, with the reduction of single-vineyard bottling production quantities, barrels of single-vineyard quality are now returned to the 3 Vineyard blend for even greater complexity.
The Vineyards
Fruit and the name come 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 provide complementary elements in resulting wines, especially Pinot noir: Ridgecrest on Willakenzie, Stoller on Jory, and Corral Creek on Laurelwood. The excellence and distinctiveness of single vineyards can be seen in vineyard designated labels for these vineyards. However, the wisdom of complementary blends, with their consistency and fullness of character is very often seen in 3 Vineyard.
The Vintage
In summary, we think this may be a fantastic white vintage and a surprisingly good red vintage, despite a cool growing season and the final rains that many times might lead to less intense wines. Most winemakers in the valley knew how to adapt to the cooler weather and took advantage of the vintage’s attributes, such as lower sugars (and therefore alcohols) and higher acids. Because of the exciting influence of vintage in a cool climate like the Willamette Valley, you’ll see nuance differences between this 3 Vineyard and its older siblings. Expect ripeness but with a crisp, bright, fruit edge of minerality from higher acids and the cooler growing season. The vintage will have stellar wines, just with a greater range of styles. Buy whites in general, buy reds from trusted names.
Stats
Harvest Data:
Harvested 9/24 to 10/11/2007 (approximately 37% Stoller, 49% Ridgecrest, and 14% Corral Creek); from 2.5 tons per acre cropload
Fermentation:
9–16 days total fermentation with 4–9 days pre-maceration
Cooperage/Aging:
9 months in 20% new, 22% one-use, and 58% multiple-use French oak barrels
Wine Selection:
Selected barrels from most fermentation lots, after reserve-level selections
Bottling:
Bottled 7/29 to 8/1/2008 unfiltered except for 17% DE filtration
Bottling Analyses:
13.2% alcohol, 6.0 g/L TA, 3.56 pH
Cases Produced:
5,690 cases (750-ml bottles) and 499 cases (375-ml bottles)
Suggested Retail:
$32
Release Date:
October 2008
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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
An intense, red-fruited pinot with hints of black tea, smoke, and warm brown spices such as clove, nutmeg, and cardamom. High-toned fruit, edgy bright acid, fine tannin, and mineral length lead to a clean and succulent finish. This is an elegant, sweet-fruited pinot with exceptional aging potential. Cool indeed!
Quotes
Wine Advocate, August 2009, Jay Miller: 89. Medium-ruby colored, it offers up a fragrant nose of spice box, earth notes, cherry, and cranberry. Medium-bodied, it has a solid core of savory fruit, some ripe tannin, excellent balance, and 1-2 years of aging potential.
Wine Spectator, December 2009, Harvey Steiman: 89. Firm in texture, with a light grip to the dark berry and cherry flavors, turning toward mineral and chalk as the finish lingers...
The International Wine Review, April 2009: 89. ...This medium light magenta wine shows aromas of toasty oak and herbal spice with underlying dark red fruit. There's a good intensity of dark red fruit and spice on the palate and good acidity...
Wine Enthusiast, December 2009, Paul Gregutt: 88. A blend of barrels... this toasty Pinot brings watermelon, strawberries and rhubarb pie fruit flavors along with black tea and cola. Though relatively light, it does not lack for flavor interest. A fine effort...
Washington Post, August 12, 2009, Oregon Pinot Noir: Land Outweighs Hand, Dave McIntyre: TWO-AND-A-HALF STARS. Lively, elegant, light in body and silky in texture with a nice herbal note, this wine reflects a blend of sedimentary and volcanic soils. One of the three vineyards is organic, the other two in transition to organic certification.
San Francisco Chronicle, October 3, 2008, Oregon Pinot Noir, Lynne Char Bennett: TWO STARS. Perfumed with mushroom, forest and cherry, strawberry and cranberry aromas; very nice nose. Substantial tannins and structure with core of delicate fruit.