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2001 Pinot Noir
Anden Vineyard Release Date: 9/2003 Retail Price: $ 30/bottle Availability: 354 cases Production Notes Anden Vineyard (formerly part of Seven Springs Vineyard) overlooks the fertile Willamette Valley from its position in the hills west of Salem. Growing on a steep southeast slope, the vines are protected from maritime winds by a fold in the hills. The vineyard was planted in 1982 on Jory soil, a shallow clay over fractured rock, at an elevation of 400'. The grapes were fermented in a small tank after three days of cold maceration. The wine aged for 19 months in 50% new French oak barrels and was bottled without fining or filtration. A small amount of sediment may accumulate during the aging process and is normal for wine produced in this manner. This Pinot noir complements foods with wild berry, earth, and spice flavors - gamebirds, venison, wild mushrooms - and will benefit from aging up to 12 years.
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Winemaker Notes
With the 2001 vintage, our Seven Springs Vineyard Pinot noir has changed. Until 2001, St. Innocent was the only winery to produce a Seven Springs Vineyard Pinot noir from both the original lower block of grapes and the upper block planted in 1998. In 2001, the vineyard was legally divided into two separate properties. The upper block will be called Seven Springs and the lower, Anden Vineyard. From what was one wine, there are now two different vineyard designate wines.
The vines are 20 years old, quite old by Oregon standards. Anden Pinot noir is the most intense and concentrated of all the 2001 Pinot noirs. It is also the most layered, complex, and nuanced of the St. Innocent Pinot noirs. This wine will develop dramitically with long term aging - and will still be young and developing after 10 years.
Tasting notes
This Pinot noir is endowed with a very deep purple-red hue. Its nose is dominated by wild, black fruits, and has significant hints of pumpkin pie spice and white pepper. At this point, our Anden Vineyard Pinot noir is still very tight with great concentration. I expect it to open significantly by Christmas 2003. This is wine for game and wild mushrooms - those wild and earthy flavors in the food bring out all the layers in this wine.