|
|
|
 |
2009 Pinot Noir, Freedom Hill Vineyard Special Selection
Release Date: 9/2011 Price: $60 per bottle as a Future 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 west. It has a southeast exposure at an elevation of 450-500' and benefits from heat rising off the valley floor. The wine comes from a block at the north edge of the vineyard planted in 2004 with Pommard and Wadenswil clones on well-drained, silty clay loam. The grapes were fermented in a Burgundy oak fermenter after two days of cold maceration. The wine aged in French oak barrels for 16 months before bottling. The Special Selection was selected from the four best barrels. This unique cuvée represents the most rigorous selection of grapes and wines in each vintage. A maximum of 72 cases are produced and this wine is available for sale only as a future. This Pinot noir complements a wide variety of full-flavored foods. It is especially good with richly flavored red meat entrees - roast beef, duck, and leg of lamb. When served young, this wine is best decanted or allowed to breathe for several hours. It will benefit from up to 10 years of bottle age. |
|
|
|
Winemaker Notes
Freedom Hill Vineyard produces Pinot noirs with structure, depth, and richness as well as a strong sense of minerality. The site is relatively warm from daytime heat that rises up the large, flat valley below. This develops rich skin tannins. Because of its proximity to Oregon Coast range -it is on the edge of the Coast Range of mountains- the vineyard is quite cool at night. This maintains good acidity in the wine. This combination of tannin and acidity produces Pinot noir with great structure. Capturing that intensity and revealing the nuances of the terroir (clay-like earthiness, dried flowers, dark spices) without excess tannins is the key to making great Freedom Hill.
The vines from our original Pinot noir blocks at Freedom Hill died from phylloxera after the 2003 vintage. I asked Dan Dusschee, the vineyard's owner and manager, to replant a four acre block on the north edge of the vineyard for St. Innocent. Planted in 2003, the block has two acres of Wadenswil and two acres of Pommard clone Pinot noir, each clone planted on two different rootstocks. Our first vineyard designated Pinot from those vines was produced in 2008. The vine density was increased three fold from the original planting and a Vertical Shoot Position (VSP) type of trellis was used.
In the past, we offered Pinot noir futures to ensure that our out-of-state customers could purchase small production wines before they sold out. In 1999 we began offering another type of future, a unique bottling of a small number of the best barrels from the vintage's best lots of Pinot noir. Two to four barrels are selected from the 30 or so barrels of one single vineyard offering and bottled as a special cuvée. These cuvées are sold only at the winery as futures. They represent the best wine of the vintage and are always age worthy.
In 2002, we purchased our first French oak, Burgundy style fermenters. In my Harvest Report, I described the fermentation aromas in the wood tank as the best I have ever smelled. I am convinced that grapes fermented in wooden Burgundy fermenters capture more of the nuances of Pinot noir and produce more complex wines. The Special Selection now always come from lots fermented in these French oak fermenters.
2009 was an unusual vintage. Normally, the fruit grown in the northern Willamette Valley is fairly uniform in character over the 40 or so miles from the north end in the Chehalem Mountain AVA to the area just south of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. This was not true in 2009.
The northern AVA's (Yamhill-Carlton, Dundee, and Ribbon Ridge) experienced significant cluster dehydration and lower acidity yielding intense and very fruit-dominated wines. AVA's to the south (McMinnville and Eola-Amity Hills) harvested 7-10 days later, had no significant dehydration and normal acidities, producing exceptionally balanced wines. For our Special Selections from 2009, we are offering one from each area, Shea from the north and Freedom Hill to the south. You have the opportunity to compare the style and evolution of both Special Selections, our rarest Pinot noirs.
Tasting Notes
The 2009 has red and black cherry aromas with dark floral, ground spices, pepper and a strong undercurrent of minerality. Dark red fruits on the palate and its signature clay-like earthiness, it finishes with a backbone of ripe tannins and balanced acidity. Perfect for that Porterhouse or T-bone as well as roasts and big pasta dishes. It is best if opened and decanted at least an hour before drinking. Given the ideal ripening conditions in 2009 and the inherent structure of this site, it will benefit from aging up to a decade.
Mark Vlossak, winemaker