Yamhill Valley Pinot Noir 2006

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Winery:

Yamhill Valley Vineyards

Varietal:

Pinot Noir

Region:

USA > Oregon > Willamette Valley AVA > Yamhill County > Mcminnville

Type:

Red Wine

Color:

Drink Dates:

Drink Now - 2013

UPC:

 

User Tags:  stone fruits, pinot, tasting, (tree) fruit, cherry, complex, color descriptors, nose, spices, fruit 

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What to Expect

Oregon has only recently emerged as a source for premium wine and is winning fans over to their somewhat earthy style of Pinot Noir. With vineyards a bit cooler than most of California's, yet warmer still than Burgundy, Oregon's Pinot Noirs feature a synthesis of ripe fruit, ripe structure and transparency that draws on the strengths of both. The wines tend to have a touch of earthiness and a sense of transparency that many Pinots from California lack yet the fruit profile, full of dark berries, is decidedly warm-climate in nature.

Winemakers Notes

Winemaker: Stephen J. Cary

Pinot Noir plantings at Yamhill Valley Vineyards account for 72 of our 98 acres of grapes. They are scattered over eleven separate plots on seven distinct soils, all primarily marine sedimentary types with some limited volcanic intrusions. There are a total of eleven clones in the mix. The dominant ones are Pommard, Wadenswil, and the more recent Dijon selections, 115, 667, and 777. The oldest vines, from 1983-1988 are on their own roots. All subsequent plantings are on a variety of grafted rootstocks. The deepest soils vines are dry farmed, the thinner, read more...hillside blocks are irrigated to supplement their low moisture content. This wine was blended from nine of the eleven estate blocks.

We are the oldest winery and the second oldest vineyard in what has very recently been recognized as the McMinnville American Viticultural Area. The unique thing about this subregion of the Willamette Valley is that eroded marine sedimentary soils dominate. Most other Oregon PN areas have strong volcanic influences, here they are minimal. On our site we have heavy clay soils that produce Pinot Noirs with unusually intense color, tannin, and structure. It’s the nature of the place, our “terroir”.

Like 2005, the growing season in 2006 was a return to a more normal ‘cool climate’ year. The summer was warm but not hot and then September gradually cooled down just they way we hope for. That results in lots of hang time to let the grapes reach the full flavor ripness we want and not just sugar accumulation. We picked in early October in a wonderful eight day window of beautiful weather.

As I write this (9/07), this lovely, fruity wine has just been bottled. This one is a bit atypical of our Pinots in that it is drinking well even at this young stage. Even so, it will benefit from bottle aging to make it smoother and even richer. It will improve for several years and drink very nicely for the next 6-8 years. Enjoy!
Harvest
Picking Dates: October 4-12
Yield: 2.1 Tons/acre
Brix: 23.9 – 26.1
pH: 3.35 – 3.45
TA 6.5 - 7.2 g/l
Fermentation
Vessels: Five ton open top fermenters
1.5 ton bin fermenters
Yeast: inoculated
Maceration: Punch down/pump over once daily
Duration: 8-14 days
Aging
Vessels: 98% French oak barrels, 2% Oregon oak barrels
Duration: 10 months
Bottling
September 2007
Composition: 100% Estate grown, from 9 of our 10 blocks.
pH: 3.58 – TA 5.5 g/l – Alcohol 13.9%
Cases Produced: 4,800    (hide)

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