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1998 Pinot Noir Bethel Heights Southeast Block

2000 (Rex Hill North Block)
2000 (Bethel Heights Wadenswil Clone)
2000 (Stoller Vineyards Clone 115)
1999 | 1998 (Ridgecrest Vineyards 7 Acre Pommard)
1999 | 1998 (Bethel Heights Southeast Block)
1999 | 1998 (Jacob-Hart Vineyard)

Chehalem 1998 Bethel Heights Southeast Block Pinot Noir

One of three experimental Pinot noirs resulting from multi-year experiments aimed at separating vineyard and winemaker influence.

The Wine

This wine is very limited and is a result of ongoing experimentation between Chehalem and two close friends at Bethel Heights and Rex Hill. Since 1998 the three wineries have exchanged fruit from key vineyard blocks, making wines that, when assembled into a 3 by 3 tasting array, give insight to the relative influences of terroir, winemaking style and, replicated over several years, vintage. The concept is that vineyard distinctions are important determinants in wine quality, but that winemaking style can often mask nuance site differences. With three different approaches, even the same vineyard can reflect differently.

The Vineyard

Bethel Heights is in the Eola Hills and is on an iron-bearing volcanic soil called Nekia. It is a rocky variant of the red Jory soil series. The vineyard was begun in the mid-seventies and has been owned and expanded in thoughtful caretaking by Ted Casteel, Pat Dudley, Terry Casteel and Marilyn Webb. Ted is the viticulturist and Terry the winemaker at Bethel Heights winery. The Southeast Block is a unique portion of the vineyard that has been treated as a single-vineyard designate by Bethel Heights since the early nineties. The vineyard is known for floral, delicate fruit aspects with light spices.

The Vintage

The 1998 vintage is possibly the best we have yet seen in Oregon, or at least the equivalent of the highly touted 1994 vintage. The intensity of this vintage is due to a half-crop yield (e.g. 1.2 tons per acre) and perfect ripening weather at this moderately high elevation vineyard, where acidity is maintained even in ripe years.

Stats

Harvest Data:

Harvested 10/1/98, harvested at 1.8 tons/acre @ 22.7 brix, 7.4 g/L acid and 3.42pH.

Fermentation:

Fermented with commercial yeasts (BRG) with 14 days total skin contact, 9 days of that pre-maceration; acidulated with 0.5 g/L; pectolytic enzyme used for uniform extraction; no post maceration.

Cooperage/Aging:

Aged for 11 months with one racking in 1/3 new, 1 year and 2 year French oak.

Clonal Selection:

Pommard clones.

Bottling:

Bottled 9/24/99 with eggwhite fining and no filtration.

Bottling Analyses:

Cases Produced:

Suggested Retail:

$39

Release Date:

April, 2001

Winemakers' Comments:

A pure-fruited, balanced pinot noir. Moderate garnet color with floral, bruised plum, spices (almost gingerbread) and noticeable vanillan wood components on the nose, the wine exhibits breadth and brightness of acidity on the palate. Sweet wood aspects, moderate fine tannin and a minor bitterness show a youthful rusticity. The size of the wine carries the Chehalem touch, the balance and delicate fruit shows the vineyard. Will age well and pair very well with food. HPN, CJF, MD