2010 Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir -- Appellation: Willamette Valley -- Released: March 2012
TASTING NOTES
The 2010 Estate Cuvée has a beautiful garnet color. The aromas are bright and floral with hints of sweet vanilla, forest floor and petunia. The flavors follow the aromas with a smooth, sweet entry of cherry cobbler, juicy strawberries, and Asian spices. The red fruit and spice transform into a slate-like, herbal finish that lingers on the tongue. This wine is very approachable when young. The aging potential is 5+ years.
We recommend pairing with steamed Chinese chicken dumplings, or a simple filet of sole or roast chicken.
VINTAGE
The 2010 vintage caused much anxiety in Oregon although it featured a relatively warm winter, especially February. Spring, however, was cold and wet, with May and June temperatures 8-10 degrees below average on most days. Budbreak occurred in the third week of April, but very little growth took place in the following weeks. Veraison was one of the latest on record, beginning at the end of August and completing in mid-September. The vintage was saved by a sunny and fairly dry October, contributing to good phenolic maturity, albeit at a lower than usual Brix level. Harvest started on October 19 with Terres Basses and finished on November 1 just before the rainy season. These wines are balanced with a lower level of alcohol, typically around 13.8, and they exhibit an excellent fruit profile.
VINEYARDS
This wine is a selection of different Pinot Noir clones, including Dijon 113, 114, and 115, sourced from several different locations. WillaKenzie Estate has a total of 68 acres of Pinot Noir. The vines are planted at 1200 to 1800 vines/acre, running north to south, allowing for maximum sun exposure. All the vineyards are planted on Willakenzie soil, a type known for its excellent drainage. The plants are grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock and trained into an upright, double guyot trellising system.
Yield: 2.3 tons/acre — Brix: 23° — pH: 3.5 — TA: 6.5
WINEMAKING
We made the 2010 Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée in our gravity-flow winery with the goal of achieving a rich and elegant style. A cool maceration preceded the open-top, Burgundian-style fermentation that averaged 20 days of skin contact with daily punch downs. Following fermentation, the wine was blended with the press wine in a tank where it settled for several days before being racked to barrels. After aging for a total of 10 months in French oak (20% new) from a variety of coopers, the individual lots were blended to obtain a wine that is fresh and approachable when young. All of the 2010 Estate Cuvée was bottled with screw cap closures.
Alcohol : 13.5% — pH: 3.65 — TA: 5.0
REVIEWS
2009 Vintage
Wine Spectator July 19, 2011 DAILY PICK for wine $15-$30!
Light and fragrant, with caramel, root beer and white pepper hints around a modest core of dark berry flavors, lingering against mild tannins. Drink now through 2016. 4,400 cases made. —Harvey Steiman
To see tasting notes from previous vintages please visit our Trade Toolkit
