AVA: Chehalem Mountains                          LOCATION: Kings Grade Rd.

ELEVATION: 325’                                          SOIL TYPE: Willakenzie

YEAR PLANTED: 2007

CLONAL MATERIAL: 100% Pommard        VINEYARD SIZE: 32-acre vineyard, ~1.0-acre PGC Anklebreaker (Pommard) block

VINIFICATION: 2 open-top fermenters, a 1.75 ton and a 2.5 ton, the former with 40% whole clusters the latter with 60% whole clusters.

PICKING DATE: September 22nd               TONS/ACRE: 3.33

OWNER: John & Susan Olenik                   PRODUCTION: 156 cases bottled

AVA: Chehalem Mountains                   LOCATION: Kings Grade Rd.

ELEVATION: 325’                                     SOIL TYPE: Willakenzie

YEAR PLANTED: 2007                            CLONAL MATERIAL: 100% Wadensvil

VINEYARD SIZE: 32-acre vineyard, ~2.7-acre PGC Wadensvil block

VINIFICATION: 3 open-top 1.75 ton fermenters, one with 0%, one with 40% and one 50% whole clusters.

PICKING DATE: September 26th         TONS/ACRE: 3.25

OWNERS: John & Susan Olenik         PRODUCTION: 310 cases bottled     

Winemaking and Notes: Olenik Vineyard sits nearly smack dab in the middle of this south facing hillside. The vineyard sits on the same type of thin marine soil as our Estate Vineyard. Wadensvil Clone is especially perfect for this type of soil. The natures of marine sedimentary soil and the Wadensvil clone are nearly a perfect intersection for Pinot Noir in Oregon. Wadensvil tends toward more elegant, high-toned and red-fruited wines while the sedimentary soil adds an element of structure and turns the wine distinctly toward a very mineral-driven mid-palate and finish. The barrels that make up this wine come equally from the fermentations that was done with 50% and no whole clusters with a couple of barrels of the 40% whole cluster fermenter rounding out the balance. Despite the differences in the make-up of the fermentations the bins were both pigeaged 1x/day and pressed separately on the same day. The fruit that was fermented with 50% whole clusters emphasizes minerals, spices and back-palate structure all of which provide tension in the herb-laced red fruit. The de-stemmed barrels are a rush of sweet, feminine red fruit and a texture like velvet. The 40% seemed to have a little of both. The whole clusters give an incredible backbone to this wine that lends an austerity to this wine that benefits it not only down the road but in the here and now, allowing it to be the wine from the Chehalem Mountains that is the most elegant, graceful and refined of the bottlings. The wine is incredibly aromatic and floral but still allows for the back palate to be the guiding force in this wine. This wine is soulful and richer than it at first seems however it is graceful, subtle and sublime and easily one of the most popular wines that we make.

Winemaking and Notes:There was a range of whole cluster fermentations ranging from 45% to 100% stem-inclusion that were created from the fruit we received from this block in 2018. They allwent through a normal cold soak of 4 to 5 days and then were fermented in 1.75-ton open-top fermenters (as well as one 2.5 ton round that was done 100% whole cluster and is the bedrock of this bottling) and pigeaged 1x/day until dry and then was pressed and allowed to settle for 3 days before being pressed separately to allow for specific blending later in the year. The wine spent about 11 months in barrel in 27% new oak. 13 barrels of the 100% whole cluster fermentation barrels were selected with 7 coming from the 2.5 ton fermentation and 5 from 45% whole cluster fermentations. This combination allows for the forward, supple nature of Dundee Hills fruit to be showcased while held in check by the old vine, mineral-driven elements of the 100% whole cluster barrels. There is sweet red fruit that is overlaid by a distinctly savory aspect creating a dichotomy upon which complexity exists. This is a wine that has old bones and sensibilities to it while still having the stuffing that Dundee Hill wines are known for all while being an insanely rare example due to the vine age that helps define this wine’s boundaries.

These now monster vines were planted back in 1973 making them some of the oldest vines in Oregon, thus giving this bottling an historical aspect to it. 46-year-old vines in Oregon are exceptionally rare both because there was so little planted acreage back then and some of that acreage has been re-planted due to Phylloxera. The fact that this site and wine exist at all is somewhat of a minor miracle. In part due to this, this wine knows exactly what it wants to be. It shows finesse, subtleness, elegance and discreet balance all backed up by a sneaky and looming firmness. Only older vines make wines like this. This is not a wine that needs to make a dramatic entrance, because all the work is done on the back end.

AVA: Willamette Valley       LOCATION: Burnell Rd.

ELEVATION: 500’                SOIL TYPE: Bellpine

YEAR PLANTED: 2001        CLONAL MATERIAL: 100% Pommard

VINEYARD SIZE: Vineyard is 85 acres/PGC Blocks total 14 acres

TONS/ACRE: 2.65                 VINIFICATION: 2 x 1.75 ton fermenters with 100% destemmed fruote and 43% whole cluster fermentions.

PICKING DATE: 9/30/18

OWNERS: Dan & Helen Dusschee      

Winemaking and Notes: This is where our bread is buttered. There is no denying that we work with Pommard clone far more than any other clone and that there is something to Pommard that makes it not only stand out but has the capacity to stand on its own as a complete wine more often than any other clone we work with. Within the non-Freedom Hill Vineyard futures offerings all of them are either Pommard or contain Pommard with the exception of the two specifically chosen Wadensvil clone bottlings. Of the three clone-designated wines we bottle from the site this one seems capture what may be the historical view of Freedom Hill Vineyard. This section of the vineyard was re-planted in 2001. This is a dark, dark wine with a rich, plush mid-palate (even at this early stage) that is layered with muscle. Over the past couple of vintages we have experimented with whole cluster usage on this block and the results are extremely appealing. There is still an Old World nature at the heart of this wine even though it pulsates with its Oregon heritage and sensibilities. This shows savory tones mixed with wild, brambly fruits on the nose. Drinks at a high-pitched level with bright, crunchy red fruits, earth-born characteristics and a distinct spicy note on the finish.

Winemaking and Notes: The Marine Sedimentary bottling takes wine from selected blocks and barrels from multiple sites. Our entire Estate Vineyard, all three blocks, Pommard (Anklebreaker Block), Wadensvil Clone and Coury Clone from the Olenik Vineyard, Dijon 115 and Mariafeld Clone from Lia’s Vineyard and Pommard from Lichtenwalter Vineyard  and Wind Ridge Vineyard were blended to show how the silty marine soil both drives our plants lives and produces wines that are distinct on their own.

This is such a huge contrast to the Dundee Hills wines that we produce and in particular the soil-based Volcanic bottling that we also make. The interaction of dark fruits, stony/earthy-driven characteristics from the Pommard, sweetness from the Dijon 115, acid and tannin from the Mariafeld and a little bit of je ne sais quois from the Coury Clone produce a wine that will appeal to those that want secondary characteristics, structure, cool minerality and restraint. This is the inherent nature of wines from vineyards planted in these soils.

Over the years this wine has seen a distinct evolution. Part of it is the inclusion of a greater number of vineyards and blocks which, certainly at a very fundamental level, would obviously create a different nature for the finished wine. However, the real changes are far more important. We started making this wine in 2005 but it was only our 6^th vintage farming a marine soil site and making wines from marine soils. Now, as this is being written in 2019, we receive fruit from four Ribbon Ridge AVA sites and four Chehalem Mountains sites that are just off the eastern edge of Ribbon Ridge. That’s eight vineyards all within less than 4 miles of each other. Our understanding of the farming required to grow excellent fruit in these sites has increased dramatically over our 20 years here. Likewise our ability to nudge the fruit toward its best wine self has seen a corresponding rise. Just because we likely source fruit from more sources in this very focused area does not make us THE expert on marine soil wines but it does make us uniquely qualified to produce a wine that shows off the excellence and potential of this small part of Yamhill County. In 2018 we have most assuredly hit the high water mark to date with this bottling. The 2018 vintage will likely go down as a terrific vintage in the annals of Oregon wine but I think it particularly shines with these marine soil wines. There is no doubt the best wines we produced in 2018 come from these eight sites. That the best Marine Sedimentary bottling is the most dramatic and profound bottling of the fourteen vintages we have made because it comes from seven of these eight sites should not be surprising. You should revel in it, but not be surprised. This is everything a marine soil Pinot Noir should be.            

AVA: Dundee Hills

LOCATION: Herring Ln. just south of Hwy 240

ELEVATION: 325-475’

SOIL TYPE: Jory-ish

YEAR PLANTED: 1992

CLONAL MATERIAL: 50% Dijon 115, 25% Wadensvil and 25% Pommard

VINEYARD SIZE: 16-acre vineyard, 4+-acre PGC blocks

VINIFICATION: Several 1.75-ton open-top fermenters done with 100% whole cluster and one 0% whole cluster fermentation in a 1.75 ton fermenter

PICKING DATE: 09/25 and 09/28/19 TONS/ACRE: 2.72

OWNERS: The Cliff and Allison Anderson

PRODUCTION: 246 cases bottled

AVA: Chehalem Mountains                          LOCATION: Kings Grade Rd.

ELEVATION: 325’                                          SOIL TYPE: Willakenzie

YEAR PLANTED: 2007

CLONAL MATERIAL: 100% Pommard        VINEYARD SIZE: 32-acre vineyard, ~1.0-acre PGC Anklebreaker (Pommard) block

VINIFICATION: 2 open-top fermenters, a 1.75 ton and a 2.5 ton, the former with 40% whole clusters the latter with 60% whole clusters.

PICKING DATE: September 22nd               TONS/ACRE: 3.33

OWNER: John & Susan Olenik                   PRODUCTION: 12 Bottles

AVA: Chehalem Mountains                   LOCATION: Kings Grade Rd.

ELEVATION: 325’                                     SOIL TYPE: Willakenzie

YEAR PLANTED: 2007                            CLONAL MATERIAL: 100% Pommard

VINEYARD SIZE: 32-acre vineyard, ~2.7-acre PGC Wadensvil block

VINIFICATION: 3 open-top 1.75 ton fermenters, one with 0%, one with 40% and one 50% whole clusters.

PICKING DATE: September 26th         TONS/ACRE: 3.25

OWNERS: John & Susan Olenik         PRODUCTION: 12 Bottles   

Winemaking and Notes: Olenik Vineyard sits nearly smack dab in the middle of this south facing hillside. The vineyard sits on the same type of thin marine soil as our Estate Vineyard. Wadensvil Clone is especially perfect for this type of soil. The natures of marine sedimentary soil and the Wadensvil clone are nearly a perfect intersection for Pinot Noir in Oregon. Wadensvil tends toward more elegant, high-toned and red-fruited wines while the sedimentary soil adds an element of structure and turns the wine distinctly toward a very mineral-driven mid-palate and finish. The barrels that make up this wine come equally from the fermentations that was done with 50% and no whole clusters with a couple of barrels of the 40% whole cluster fermenter rounding out the balance. Despite the differences in the make-up of the fermentations the bins were both pigeaged 1x/day and pressed separately on the same day. The fruit that was fermented with 50% whole clusters emphasizes minerals, spices and back-palate structure all of which provide tension in the herb-laced red fruit. The de-stemmed barrels are a rush of sweet, feminine red fruit and a texture like velvet. The 40% seemed to have a little of both. The whole clusters give an incredible backbone to this wine that lends an austerity to this wine that benefits it not only down the road but in the here and now, allowing it to be the wine from the Chehalem Mountains that is the most elegant, graceful and refined of the bottlings. The wine is incredibly aromatic and floral but still allows for the back palate to be the guiding force in this wine. This wine is soulful and richer than it at first seems however it is graceful, subtle and sublime and easily one of the most popular wines that we make.

Winemaking and Notes:The Madrone Block, planted to Dijon 115 Clone creates a much different Pinot Noir than the Pommard Clone from the Bishop Block, and it is special enough to be bottled on its own. One of the reasons that the Dundee Hills was the place that initially defined all of Oregon Pinot Noir and why this AVA remains so sought after in terms of plantable vineyard land is that, quite simply, the wines from here are delicious. In their relative youth vines here produce ripe fruit that wants to be pleasing and friendly. The Madrone Block is just about to get to its 20^th leaf, so it still exists in a spot where it produces fruit that makes wine people want to enjoy.  It is plush wish richness and ripe characteristics, but it also has balanced acidity and enough tannin to keep everything where it needs to be. This is definitely deep in fruit and oozing with textural appeal creating a long, graceful and entirely charming wine. This borders right on sultry as all bottlings of this block have since we began producing it in 2012. Almost certainly, this is the single vineyard designate with the most upfront appeal to it. This will show sweet red fruits which are certainly a staple of the vintage with classic Dundee Hill sweet spices. Hard not to like.