VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
It was a dark and stormy night…and that was just the first day of 2017! Yes, 2017 started out like a number of Oregon vintages have started out: cold, wet and rainy. In fact, to start out 2017 we had snow. Snow shut down the winery for a number of days in January and this cold weather foretold the following cool spring. Bud break was late in relation to the past 5 years (late April instead of early April), but more normal when you look at our 40+ growing seasons. The cool, wet weather was not to last, and the heat volcano erupted in mid-June to the tune of 95°F! Thanks to the wonderful deluge of wet weather in the winter and spring of 2017, our vines were able to handle the scorching hot summer. Our underground barrel cellar reached temps we have never seen before (in the 70s) and the expanding wine pushed some bungs out. The cool spring helped push out harvest, but the hot summer helped make sure the grapes were ready to go with little delay. We picked over a six week time period, which is a week or so longer than normal due to the rain events. The crop was huge — one of the largest we have seen since 2014. The fruit was ripe and very clean, boding well for quality.
WINEMAKING
After more than 50 years in the Oregon wine industry, Sokol Blosser Winery has started to establish a growing sparkling wine program made with 100% Willamette Valley grown grapes. This program follows the Méthode Traditionnelle process to make a truly special representation of the Pinot Noir grape. The Pinot Noir grapes in our Sparkling Rosé were all hand-harvested and whole cluster pressed. The juice was fermented to dryness in both stainless steel and oak barrels. It was then aged for about 6 months in 100% French oak, with 5% new, 5% once used, and the rest neutral oak. After this brief barrel aging period, the wine was blended, re-inoculated with yeast and sugar, and bottled (or put into tirage). Following the second fermentation in the bottle the wine was left to age sur-lie for 39 months. The wine is tasted at various points during aging to determine the best time to disgorge. The winemaking team is looking to capture a balance in the purity of fruit with the subtle complexities contributed from yeast lees and time.
WINE PROFILE
On the nose, our Sparkling Rosé displays floral notes of jasmine, matched with meyer lemon, strawberry, and a slight hint of brioche. On the palate, the strawberry becomes underripe, and is joined by fresh lemon juice and rhubarb.
PAIRINGS
This wine will pair beautifully with anything from kimchee fried rice to chicken schnitzel to shrimp cocktail.
THE STORY
The Sokol Blosser family has selected a site comprised of volcanic soils and influenced by cooling marine winds located in the Eola-Amity Hills, called Blossom Ridge Vineyard. Starting in 2014 Sokol Blosser began the transition of Blossom Ridge
SCORES
92 points - Vine Pair
90 points - James Suckling