In classic Oregon fashion, the weather during the 2002 harvest was a little bit of everything. A beautiful summer growing season led right up to the beginning of our harvest on September 14. We picked a small amount of Pinot Noir that day, then the following day it turned cool and overcast followed by a day of heavy rain. By the time it dried out enough to get going again, a week had gone by. Then the weather turned quite hot and we were able to harvest for a week before the rains kicked in again. We endured a full week of cold temperatures, heavy rains and even some thunder and lightning, before it again turned dry and sunny and we had two nice weeks to finish up the harvest under ideal conditions. Given the wildly changeable weather we experienced during the harvest, it is truly remarkable that the wines of the 2002 vintage are so wonderful.

This wine, while still relatively young, is already showing some of the distinctive earth and truffle character our Pinot noirs develop as they age in the bottle. Like our 2001, the aromas and flavors are of black cherry, licorice and mocha, the tannins are smooth and supple, and the finish is long and elegant. However, unlike our 2001, which was notable for its delicacy and nuance, our 2002 is showing the power, structure and concentration of one of Oregon’s most highly acclaimed Pinot Noir vintages.

The release of our 2002 Pinot Noir bottlings marks the debut of the Dundee Hills as an official, U.S. government approved American Viticultural Area, or AVA. This means that the grapes for wines displaying the Dundee Hills AVA on the label came from this small, unique region here in the northern Willamette Valley that we consider the epicenter of Oregon Pinot Noir.