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2005 Pinot Noir
White Rose Vineyard Release Date: 5/26/2007 Availability: 234 cases Price: $45/bottle Production Notes White Rose Vineyard is located on a southeast-facing slope in the Dundee Hills of Yamhill County. The vineyard was planted in 1980 at an elevation of 820' on deep Jory soil. It is protected from the prevaling winds by hills to the west and looks directly at the Cascade Mountains. The grapes were fermented in a small tank after one day of cold maceration. The wine aged for 16 months in 40% 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. Crop Level 1.7 tons/acre The Pinot noir complements a wide variety of entrees, especially those with layered flavors. When served young, this wine is best if allowed to breathe for 1-2 hours. It is drinkable now and will benefit from aging up to 8 years. |
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Winemaker Notes
White Rose Vineyard is our only Dundee Hills AVA (appellation) vineyard. It is our highest elevation vineyard at 832' and is located on a ridge above and to the west of Domaine Drouhin Oregon. The vineyard is owned by Greg Sanders and was planted in the late 1970's. Our grapes come from a two-acre block at the base of the vineyard planted with the Pommard clone of Pinot noir. Although it is our highest altitude site, it is also one of our ripest.
Bloom was late in 2005, meaning that we would not pick until October. A summer of dry warm, but not hot weather, was followed by a moderate, but dry September. The vines were water stressed and in need of rain. On September 30th it finally rained, 2.5 inches over three days. We were blessed with moisture (in abundance) and that was followed by adequate sun over the next two weeks. This allowed the plants to come back into water balance and complete the final ripening phase of flavor development. All of our sites ripened within a few days of each other and this was our most compressed harvest on record.
Tasting notes
St. Innocent White Rose Pinot noir has acquired a well deserved reputation as our most hedonistic wine. It is the only wine that I do not focus on the details of aroma or flavor. Instead, I enjoy the pleasure, it is drop dead gorgeous. Aromas of ripe red fruits and hints of sweet smoky oak, it fills your mouth with dark fruits and red flowers. Still a bit awkward from bottling, it should integrate by late summer (2007).
2005 was a particularly low yielding vintage in the Dundee Hills. Even in a normal year, it is our smallest lot of Pinot noir and this year our production was down 40%. Drink it now or age it up to 8 years.