2006 Pinot gris | Willamette Valley
In the Vineyard
The 2006 vintage was warm and dry, even in comparison to recent vintages. Heat spikes occurred in May, July, August and September, driving the sugars upward without necessarily ripening fruit flavors. Reigning in the effects of the warm summer, we were able to achieve a balance of fruity power and elegance. Our ’06 Pinot gris is comprised of fruit from Meredith Mitchell Vineyard, Yamhill Springs Vineyard, and Bellevue Cross Vineyard. The averages across the 3 vineyards at harvest were a pH of 3.28, TA of 6.3, and Brix at a very high average of 25.
At the Winery
Fruit from the three vineyards was combined in-tank with less than 5% of vintage 2004 wine held over in Puncheons that add flesh and maturity to the blend. Each vineyard was harvested, pressed, and cold-settled separately. The resulting juice was accumulated in our temperature-controlled 3000 gallon stainless-steel tank. The accumulated juice weighed in at 24.9 Brix, 3.38 pH, and 5.6 g/L TA. We tweaked the TA upward, adding ¼ gram per litre of Tartaric Acid, and inoculated the tank with CY3079 yeast culture. Once fermentation was started (at about 64°F) we slowly cooled the tank to 52° and maintained a slow, steady fermentation for about 2 months.
We allowed temperature to increase by one degree each week throughout December to avoid stuck fermentations and approach dryness. The wine was racked, lightly fined with bentonite, and blended with the 2004 vintage. This blend was cold-stabilized, polish filtered, sterile filtered and bottled March 20, 2007. The resulting wine has a residual sugar of 0.73%, pH of 3.31, TA of 6.0 g/L, and an alcohol of 15%.
At the Table
Our ’06 Pinot gris offers aromas of citrus and honeysuckle. The initial flavors are zippy, but quickly broaden to a medium weight, fleshy mid-palate. Flavors of crisp Asian pear laced with honeysuckle nectar give way to fresh mango and grapefruit. The finish funnels into a tight focus on citrus and Asian pear flavors. Enjoy with Thai basil and peanut sauce curry, or Indian-influenced cuisine – perhaps a chicken-apple curry sausage with fresh linguine pasta. Garlic and toasted pine nuts could easily be matched by this refreshing Pinot gris.
