2009
Spring blossomed in 2009 gloriously warm boosting the vines into early budbreak. Summer stayed warm occasionally punctuated by rain until the heat came in earnest with record highs. The first part of August cooled down with rain followed by sun until Labor Day when a late summer heat wave pushed temperatures back into the 90's. We achieved almost record hang time in most vineyards creating much work and green thinning passes in the vineyards to keep yields in line at an average of 2.5 tons per acre. It was a long harvest resulting in wines which exhibit elegance, beautiful balance and softness.
2008
Oregon’s Willamette Valley was blessed with a wonderful 2008 harvest.
Weeks of late great weather and small berries responsible for lower
than expected yields (1-1.5 tons/acre) resulted in one of the finest
vintages on record. It is a vintage defined by the vineyard rather than
the weather because each site developed fully to reveal their pedigree.
2008 Willamette Valley wines have elegance, structure, concentration
and a definite sense of place.
2007
The 2007 Oregon growing season started early and wet. The vintage was
significantly cooler & wetter than what we are used to in the
Willamette Valley. Even with the rain and cold the vineyards still
marched towards maturity – albeit at a slower place. Those who waited
to pick and contained the disease pressure were rewarded with some
beautiful grapes that will produce wines of great delicacy, aromatic
piquancy and fine tannins. The late bud-break and minor early-harvest
rain events translated to naturally balanced fruit and, consequently,
wines. Alcohol levels were restrained, acids exquisitely vivid and
flavors of fresh fruit rather than over-ripe, baked desserts. It was a
growing season that separated the good farmers from the mediocre ones
and the good sites from the average ones.
2006
The 2006 Oregon growing season started late and wet but offered great
weather for flowering setting the largest crop that we have seen in a
few years with abundant but not large clusters. A gorgeous summer
heated dramatically in June and July, but cooled appreciably in August
to begin a soft slow slide into harvest. The Willamette Valley heated
up again pushing the small berries into overdrive and launching an
early harvest for Pinot Noir. Whites benefited from some cooling and a
bit of rain taking their time to retain beautiful acid/ripeness balance.
2005
Cold, wet weather made for a late budbreak and flowering with shatter
that translated into low yields for the second year in a row. Mildew
threatened into July with a cooler summer than normal. It turned hotter
towards the end of August and the beginning of September but picking
did not begin until October. It was then interrupted by a bit of rain
and cold but finished gloriously well into November under beautiful
skies. These ended up being some of the best wines we have seen for
years.
2004
The 2004 vintage was anything but typical. The spring was early and
warm. However, rain during flowering resulted in the worst shatter
Oregon has experienced for years bringing very low yields, about half
of normal. A hot summer seemed to promise an early harvest and for a
small portion it did before the weather turned cold and rainy. Luckily
the rain did not last that long and we were able to harvest well into
October under beautiful skies. The wines from this vintage are
classical Oregon.
2003
The 2003 vintage was the most interesting harvest since 1997. The
growing season can be summed up with one word: hot. Spring was warm so
that budbreak and flowering progressed unimpeded to yield an abundant
crop. Summer brought hot weather that lasted through most of harvest,
which was accelerated by a hot east wind. Higher elevations and older
vineyards ripened more slowly but generally harvest came on quickly.
The clusters were perfect with more tropical and mango notes than
normal. The slight dehydration of the grapes made for more concentrated
flavors and, most importantly, an underlying ripe acidity making for a
tremendous vintage.
2002
The 2002 vintage was blessed with a faultless growing season that
carried into a beautiful harvest. The fine weather at harvest not only
allowed the grapes to be picked when they achieved a brilliant amount
of sugar but also when the flavors and tannins had become truly
physiologically ripe. Healthy, concentrated, and thick-skinned, the
clusters were incredible. All over Oregon the 2002 vintage was near
perfect and will certainly be remembered as one of the best in the
history of this relatively new area of Oregon viticulture.
