VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
What started as a dry winter turned into a deluge of rain in the springtime. We had the wettest and coldest April/May/June in recorded (130 years) history. Freezing temperatures on the morning of April 14th and 15th knocked back the fragile new growth, in fact, until crop estimates were done in late August, we thought our crop yields would be down across the board by 50-60%. The lesson learned is don’t second guess a grapevine. In over 51 years of growing grapes here in the Dundee Hills we have never seen a freezing event during the growing season, so we had no idea what was going to happen. The primary buds froze and died, but the secondary buds came on, produced fewer but larger clusters, and the vines made a miraculous comeback. The coldest and wettest spring turned into the 2nd warmest and driest summer on record, and then we got to October. Everything depended on good ripening conditions (dry and warm) in the month of October since bloom was much later. Fortunately we got the warmest October in Oregon history, we were able to let the grapes hang, and the rains stayed put until all our Estate fruit was in on Thursday, October 27th. The fruit got nice and ripe, and we are thrilled with the wine producedfrom this vintage!

WINEMAKING
From late September to early October the grapes for this wine were carefully harvested from our own Dundee Hills and Kalita vineyards, as well as Croft Vineyards in the Mt. Pisgah AVA. The grapes were 100% destemmed and fermented in 3-ton stainless steel tanks and left to ambient soak for ~4 days. Fermentation commenced using 100% ambient yeast and capmanagement was done with punch downs. This wine was aged in French oak barrels for 10 months in stainless steel with a medium toast French oak influence.

WINE PROFILE
On the nose, this wine gives notes of red cherry, red currant, balanced with toast and spice. On the palate there are notes of red cherry and cranberry, with vanilla and baking spices.

PAIRINGS
Pair with grilled salmon, squash soup, and roasted chicken with herbs.

STORY
Our Redland Cuvée is an homage to our original Pinot Noir that we began producing in the 80s. It is named Redland after the famous Jory soil that the vines grew in; an intense, mineral-rich soil that came from ancient volcanic deposits in the Dundee Hills. Its high iron content gives the earth a rusty hue, thus the hills are often referred to as the “Red Hills”. Our Redland Cuvée is an inclusive blend of Pinot Noir sourced from our Estate vineyards and Croft Vineyards across the Willamette Valley, bringing together distinct AVAs and soil types to create a symphony in wine that is made, French oak aged, and bottled in the beautiful Red Hills that we call home.

SCORES
2021 - (90) Wine Enthusiast
2020 - (90) Wine Spectator
2019 - (92) James Suckling, (90) Vinous, (90) Wine Enthusiast