VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
It was clear something was different with the 2019 harvest when fruit flies were spotted at Thistle Vineyard over Labor Day Weekend. The second sign was the dramatic shift in the weather forecast. At the end of August, we believed we would have a “warmer and drier” than average September/ October. Sounds good huh?!?!? Then, at the end of September we got 2.7” of rain… which is double the average, and we had one of the coolest Septembers on record. We remembered and applied the key learnings from prior similar vintages in our approach to the 2019 harvest – get the grapes as ripe as possible with as little fruit degradation as possible. Even with a longer hang time this year the grapes had less sugar, high pHs and high acids. Consequently, we based our picking decision more on the taste of the juice and looking at the weather. We had five distinct rain events from when we started harvest on September 3rd to when we ended picking on October 10th, and these individual rain events sometimes lasted multiple days. In the end, we got as much ripeness as possible and are very happy about what we put into barrel.

WINEMAKING
On September 6th we harvested both Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc from the Dundee Hills when the acid levels were high - perfect for sparkling wine. The fruit was pressed and fermented together in 82% oak and 18% stainless steel and then barrel aged for six months in neutral oak. The wine went in to tirage in May 2020 and spent 56 months en tirage. 

WINE PROFILE
Buttered popcorn, toasted caramel, and apple pie on the nose, followed by baked apple and a round creamy lingering finish on the palate.

NUTRITIONAL FACTS
750ml | Alc 12% by Vol.
Ingredients: grapes, yeast, sugar, SO2
Serving Facts: Serving size: 5fl oz (148ml); Servings per container: 5; Amount Per Serving: Calories: 109; Carbohydrates: 1.2g; Fat: 0g; Protein: 0g