Wine Spectator:
90 points, March 2010

Composition: 100% Pinot noir
Alcohol: 13.3% by vol
pH: 3.56
Production: 10,212 cases (750 ml)
1,000 cases (375 ml)
186 bottles (1.5 L)

“With its broad array of origins and clones,
this wine displays both red and black fruit
aromas (cherries and raspberries), on the nose
and the palate. In addition, one finds a light
touch of brown spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice).
True to our house style, it is elegantly
textured with satiny, polished tannins showing in
the finish. Pair it with salmon or ahi, veal or
pork, poultry (think duck) or beef, or hearty
vegetarian entrees.”
Dave Paige, Winemaker

Cellaring: Under optimum cellar conditions, this wine will certainly improve through 2018, and perhaps through 2028.

WINE BACKGROUND:
The first vintage of this Pinot noir was in 1979.
Our objective in producing this wine has always been a classic, intense, and elegant wine that pairs well with the foods we like to eat.
By blending the diverse flavors and textures of multiple vineyards, clones and elevations, we produce a richly supple and focused wine that typifies what Pinot noir can achieve each vintage in the northern Willamette Valley.
With this wine, our 30th vintage, our experience shows – we’ve long been acknowledged as producing a reference standard for the “Oregon style”.

VINEYARDS:
This 2008 vintage wine is 70% estate grown, with the majority of the grapes having been harvested from seven of our vineyards in the Chehalem Mountains AVA (66%) and one of our vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA (4%). The remaining 30% is derived from seven other vineyards in various sub-regions within the Willamette Valley.
Approximately 75% of the wine comes from several clones brought intoOregon from Burgundy, 20% is UCD 5 (“Pommard”), and the final 5% either UCD 1A (“Wädenswil”) or a clonal-blend.
Soil type, appellation, vine age, and elevation varied considerably in these lots, offering many options to create a unified blend.

WINEMAKING
After hand-harvesting, the grapes were gently de-stemmed into open-top fermenters, followed by a four to six day cold soak for greater flavor and color extraction.
The grapes were then inoculated with a commercial yeast and punched down two or three times per day during their 7 day fermentation.
After pressing, the wine was transferred into traditional small French oak barrels (20% new) where it was aged for approximately 10 months.
The final blend was bottled over a week-long period, August 3 - 10, 2009.

GROWING SEASON:
The 2008 growing season began slowly with a cooler than normal spring for the months of March and April. Buds began to open around April 26th, giving the growing season a bit of a delayed start.
Temperatures picked up considerably in May and the vines accelerated shoot growth, but bloom was still slightly later than normal.
The favorable conditions surrounding bloom near the end of June continued well into August. Veraison became apparent in mid-August, followed by gorgeous ripening conditions in September.
Hand-picking began the last week of September and continued into mid-October, allowing the fruit to fully ripen and bask in what could be called a textbook Indian summer for Oregon.

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