2004 Pinot noir | Coeur De Terre
In the Vineyard
Planted in well-drained Willakenzie soil and tucked into the hill known as Eagle Point, just west of McMinnville, Coeur De Terre Vineyard is our youngest. We helped Scott and Lisa plant this experimental block to determine which clones and rootstock would fare best at their new site. The resulting field blend of various Pinot noir yields a delightful balance of tastes and aromas. We can’t wait to see what this vineyard has to offer as it matures. With Lisa and Scott ramping up their own winemaking endeavors, the supply to Raptor Ridge is scarce, so we’re delighted to have even the limited quantities that we do. The 2004 vintage was harvested on September 29 at 24.5 Brix, 3.23 pH and 7.0 TA.
At the Winery
Grapes from CDT were cold-soaked for four days at 48 F. Fermentations began on wild yeast for two days. Inoculations with Brunello-Montalcino yeast culture began on day six. The wine pressed off at -1.2 Brix, was settled on gross lees, racked to barrel, and aged for 17 months in French oak barrels that were custom-designed from select French forests to complement Raptor Ridge Pinot noir by Hermitage, our cooper in Merlin, France.
At the Table
Our winemaker feels that this is perhaps the finest wine we’ve ever made. There is a certain elegance that presents itself on first approach. Aromas of perfectly integrated fruit, oak, earth and forest waft from the glass. Its blue/violet color shows depth and moderate extraction. Youthful flavors of strawberry-rhubarb pie and fresh ranier cherries open up in time to blueberry cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream. An acid vein uplifts the fruit and carries it in a lingering finish. Though this wine’s structure promises age-worthiness, we’re awfully glad to be sipping it now (two weeks after bottling) in front of a cherry-wood fire!
