Composition: 100% Pinot noir
Alcohol: 13.7% by vol
pH: 3.27
RS: dry (0.2%)
Production: 576 cases (750 ml)

“This delicious wine offers aromas of fresh
strawberries and citrus blossom. The aromas
follow through on a zesty, well textured
palate that offers great intensity and
persistence. Though a perfect summer
beverage on its own, this Rosé will pair with
all manner of that season’s meals, from
bouillabaisse and grilled shrimp, to goat
cheese, ham and poultry entrees.”
Dave Paige, Winemaker

WINE BACKGROUND
Our co-owners Lynn and Jack Loacker broached the subject of producing a dry rosé from Pinot noir back in the spring of 2005.
We welcomed the intellectual challenge of creating a wine that was
neither white (crisp, clean and refreshing) nor red (round, full and
savory). We wanted a wine that had elements of both but was its own
wine, and was recognizably “Oregon.”

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 the 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.
All of our Estate fruit was under roof by the second week of October.

WINEMAKING
The fruit for the cuvée that makes up this wine came from three
vineyards in the Chehalem Mountains AVA of the northern Willamette
Valley.
Two different winemaking techniques were used to make this Rosé. The
first was a saignée, in which a portion of juice was bled off from a
Pinot noir fermenter immediately after being filled with grapes. The
second techique involved filling our press with whole cluster Pinot
noir grapes and pressing them immediately.
Both techniques involve a mild amount of skin contact and result in
lightlycolored Pinot noir juice that is subsequently fermented to make
our Rosé.
A slow, cool fermentation in our temperature-controlled stainless steel
tanks helps to retain the primary fruit esters. For enhanced textural
richness, 12% of the wine was fermented in older, neutral French oak
barrels.
The wine was bottled on January 22, 2010.

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