“This was a great vintage. Period. I will most likely never see another vintage like this in my life time.” – Winemaker Alex Sokol Blosser. The driest summer on record, made for clean fruit – possibly the cleanest ever seen in our vineyard.  Growing and harvest conditions were optimal and near-perfect; the drying east winds in early October did force us to pick sooner than anticipated due to the grape drying. Color, intensity, and flavor will be the hallmarks from the vintage. January, February, and March produced significant rainfall, more than six inches above average.  Winter was cool as well, with two inches of snow in January and a trace in March.  April, May and June continued the cool and above average rainfall (more than four inches above normal).  With so much rain, we had to wait to get the tractors into the field. Bud break started on April 23rd – right on time.  Bloom started June 17th which is again right on time. The wet weather at bloom helped thin the crop.  It rained July 3rd and then ceased until October 12th. That means we had no rain in August and September in the Sokol Blosser vineyard. Harvest was compact. We started picking the Concert North Pinot Noir on September 29th and finished up with Pinot Blanc and Red House Riesling on October 11th. These wines will taste delicious the moment they are released and still have long-term aging potential.

In this 2012 fruit-forward vintage, we wanted our Dundee Hills Pinot Noir to capture those fruit characteristcs but still have the structure. We attained the structure through extended maceration and our style of 16 months barrel aging. Our 2012 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir is a ready to drink out the gate. With a lower percentage of new oak, our intent is to emphasize the presence of fruit. Expressive and bright, this wine showcases dark fruit flavors of cherry and blueberry with earthy and spicy characteristics that are reflective of our Jory soil.

Wine Scores:
91 points by Wine Spectator
92 points by Wine Enthusiast
92 points by The Tasting Panel