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1998 Pinot Noir
Freedom Hill Vineyard Release Date: 9/2000 Retail Price $: 30.00 Availability: 514 cases Production Notes Freedom Hill Vineyard is located in the foothills of the coast range 10 miles southwest of Salem, Oregon. The site is protected from strong coastal winds by hills to the east. It has a southeast exposure at an elevation of 390' and benefits from heat rising off the valley floor. The Wadenswil block was planted in 1982 and the Pommard Lyre block in 1988 on a well drained silty clay loam. The grapes were fermented in a small tank after three days of cold maceration. The wine aged for 19 months in 43% new 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. Crop load: 2.7 tons/acre This Pinot noir complements richly flavored red meat entrees - prime rib, roast duck, steak, filet mignon - and will benefit from up to 10 years of bottle age. |
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Tasting Notes
The Freedom Hill Pinot noir is the big boy at St. Innocent. It is always very intense with big black cherries and an earthiness that is the hallmark of its terroir. A whopping load of tannin always came with this intensity and the wine required a year of bottle age to soften. Visiting Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg, I tasted wines of immense power, but with soft and balanced tannins. I realized that I might be able to capture all the intensity of Freedom Hill without all the tannins. I shortened the maceration time, limited the peak temperature of the fermentation, and pressed a bit earlier. Voila! Incredible power and velvety tannins.