2008 Boulder Bluff Vineyard Pinot noir

Composition: 100% Pinot noir from two rare selections
Alcohol: 13.9%
pH: 3.51
Production: 269 cases (750 ml)

“This, our second single vineyard bottling
from Boulder Bluff Vineyard, displays juicy
and rich dark fruit characteristics - black
cherry, black currants, and black raspberry -
along with earthy notes of cocoa, cedar, and
brown spice. The wine strikes a nice balance
with firmness of texture and a rich mouthfeel.
Try it paired with grilled salmon or meats,
domestic and wild fowl, or hearty vegetarian
entrees.” Dave Paige, Winemaker

Wine Background
• Lynn and Jack Loacker, co-owners of Adelsheim Vineyard, purchased this 9.91-acre vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains in 2000.
• Three Pinot noir clones were used in this bottling:
- The first selection came to us in 1974 from Oregon wine pioneer Charles Coury and was the original material planted at our Quarter Mile Lane Vineyard.
- The second was selected by Gary Andrus and planted in 1995 at Archery Summit’s Red Hills Estate.
- The third was French Clone 777, brought from Burgundy to Oregon State University in 1987 under the instigation of David Adelsheim.
• This 2008 vintage Boulder Bluff Pinot noir is our second single vineyard wine from this property.

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 occurred on September 29 and October 1.

Vineyard
• Boulder Bluff Vineyard is adjacent to our oldest vineyard, Quarter Mile Lane, in the Chehalem Mountains AVA (American Viticultural Area).
• This vineyard is sited between 485 and 625 feet above sea level on a steep southwest slope. It is a very warm site due to its orientation and the many basalt boulders on the property which hold the heat.
• The soils are basaltic-origin, clay-loam soils, which store enough moisture to get the grapevines through our annual summer dry spells without irrigation.

Winemaking
• After being hand-harvested, the grapes were gently destemmed 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 a 6 day alcoholic fermentation.
• After pressing, the wine was transferred into traditional small French oak barrels (29% new) where it was aged for approximately 10 months.
• This wine was bottled on August 12, 2009.

This is an Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine, for more information please visit www.ocsw.org.

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