2009 Pinot Blanc Bryan Creek Vineyard

Technical Information
Alc: 13.8% by vol
pH: 3.04
RS: dry
Production: 532 cases (750 ml)

“This 2009 Pinot blanc features Granny
Smith apple, tangerine and meadowfoam
honey aromas, accented by hints of fennel.
There’s a rich mouthfeel that is offset by the
wine’s general raciness. It pairs superbly
with a wide range of foods - from shellfish
to quiche to spicy Asian food.”
Dave Paige, winemaker

WINE BACKGROUND
Esteemed in Friuli and Alto Adige, tolerated in Alsace, and abused in California, Pinot blanc has found an important home in Oregon.
The same climate and soils that have made this state famous for Pinot noir and Pinot gris also work for their sibling Pinot blanc, giving us wines that are racy, yet bold in character.
By the 1970’s in California, producers found that they had no true Pinot blanc in the state, so David Adelsheim led a program to import two clones directly from Alsace to Oregon.
Thus, we were in on the ground floor with this variety - 1989 was our first vintage.

VINEYARDS
Though our first bottlings of this variety were produced from purchased grapes, we planted 3 ½ acres in the mid 90’s in our Bryan Creek Vineyard, on clay-loam basaltic-origin soils in the Chehalem Mountains.
Our Pinot Blanc is planted at the highest elevation available at our Bryan Creek Vineyard. At 800 feet, we are able to get the fruit to ripen with the sun exposure it receives on the southwest facing slope.

WINEMAKING
Following a light whole-cluster pressing in our computer-controlled membrane press to separate the juice from the skins as quickly and as cleanly as possible, the juice was allowed to settle for about 3 days to allow for clarification prior tofermentation.
Then the wine underwent a slow, cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks to preserve its bright focused fruit.
 In order to preserve its inherently refreshing and crisp qualities, this wine did not go through malolactic fermentation. It was bottled on April 1, 2010.

GROWING SEASON
The 2009 growing season began with three months of above average temperatures coupled with lower than average rainfall.
Bud break occurred around April 20th, giving the 2009 season a one week head start compared to 2008. Rainfall increased throughout the pre-bloom period and temperatures remained higher, resulting in gorgeous bloom conditions and bountiful fruit set.
Temperatures spiked into triple digits in July, but cooled to normal levels for August as we eased into veraison.
Sugar accumulation was accelerated at lower elevations leading to a mid-September pick, which we had not seen since the 2006 harvest. Lack of rain around our picking schedule meant grapes could hang until they reached optimal ripeness.
The grapes for this wine were harvested on September 23rd.

This wine is an Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine, for more information visit  http://ocsw.org.

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