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2005 Stoller Vineyards Pinot Noir

(new release October 2007)

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The Wine

This single-vineyard designate is predominantly from the densest plantings of Pinot Noir at our Stoller Vineyards and provides great concentration of fruit, with good acid backbone. There typically is an earthy, sweet cherry fruit core, soft and broad, with occasional threads of herb.

The Vineyards

Stoller Vineyards is the newest, and therefore most viticulturally advanced, of our three estate vineyards. A south-sloping, 140-acre vineyard on a 350-acre parcel, Stoller Vineyards commands a dominating view of the southern end of the Red Hills of Dundee, giving it regular comparison to Burgundy’s Corton Hill. Stoller Vineyards is planted on Jory soil, with a touch of Nekia, both deep red volcanic soil types. In tightly spaced plantings, utilizing varied rootstocks, and drip irrigation, vines have every advantage on this site. Formerly a turkey farm, the vineyard is owned by winery partners Bill and Cathy Stoller.

The Vintage

2005 was an old-style Oregon vintage, warming the cockles of the hearts of industry old folks like me as much as the coffee we drank. Cooler and damper than the average modern vintage, mature winemakers and mature vineyards understood and adjusted to the weather, giving the grapes a chance to fully ripen and working magic to assure clean fruit. Experience should show with our three classic estate vineyards. Great extraction, great acid, lower alcohols (no Pinots above the 13%s!) — expect wines of finesse and ageability.

Stats

Harvest Data:

Harvested 10/13 & 10/14/2005 @ 23.9 brix, 3.41 pH, and 6.1 g/L TA, from 3.1 tons per acre cropload

Fermentation:

13 days total fermentation with 10 days pre-maceration

Cooperage/Aging:

10 months in barrel in 50% new French oak barrels, 100% new and one-year prior use

Clonal Selection:

Selected barrels from 1 vineyard block, Pommard/Wadenswil; 100% high-density fruit

Bottling:

Bottled 9/7/2006

Bottling Analyses:

13.7% alcohol, 3.8 pH, and 5.7 g/L TA

Cases Produced:

321

Suggested Retail:

$44

Release Date:

October 2007

Winemaker's Comments

Fine, firm, and classic, the 2005 Stoller shows both Pinot Noir typicity and the uniqueness of this lovely Dundee Hills vineyard. From a warm site, despite the cooler vintage, this wine is fully ripe, showing moderate-to-deep garnet and purple colors and a sappy and fleshy mouthfeel that is lush and broadly covers the palate. The aromatics are of mineral, rock, or earthiness (you choose your identifier), black cherry, and dried herbs. With a soft textural background, there is a fine, dusty tannin grip and a brightness that contributes to a well-balanced wine. As finely pedigreed a Stoller single-vineyard Pinot as we can do.

Quotes

Pinot Report, February 15, 2008, Gregory S. Walter: 94. Medium ruby color; spicy, earthy, dusty cherry aromas; ripe, lush cherry flavors with earthy and spicy notes; some tannin; sweet oak, good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, lush and yet really well structured, this is a great Pinot for the table and for the cellar.

Vinfolio, Issue 160, Doug Wilder: 94. Focused nose of earth and mineral with a sachet of violet and rose petal. The palate is nicely focused and round with flavors of blue plum, cherry and stones that seem to stretch across the palate with unusual elasticity. There is a great deal of complexity here...

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2008, Josh Raynolds: 90. Bright red color. Gently spicy redcurrant and raspberry aromas are complicated by cinnamon, mace and dried rose. Silky in texture, offering sweet strawberry and raspberry flavors and good mineral snap. Soft tannins slowly gain strength on the long, sappy finish. I like the blend of nerve and richness here. "The Stoller vineyard is a naturally warm site, so it does especially well in cooler vintages," co-winemaker Mike Eyres told me.

eRobertParker.com, October 2007, Jay Miller: 90. ...Structured with plenty of material and outstanding flavors. It will develop for 3-5 years and drink well through 2025.

Northwest Palate, November/December 2007: Recommended. Light notes of mineral and dusty earth combine with cherry fruitiness to produce a mouthwatering aroma. The classic Pinot black cherry core is supplemented by notes of loam and dried autumn leaves, as well as a dusting of cocoa and a hint of rose petal. Good acidity and dusty tannins round out the tasting experience. Pair this straightforwardly tasty Pinot with minestrone.

Burghound.com, October 2007, Allen Meadows: A high-toned and complex nose features notes of cranberry and raspberry fruit along with briar and plum hints that continue onto the round, supple and nicely precise middle weight flavors that offer a certain generosity on the moderately long finish...

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