2018 Hyland Vineyard Coury Pinot Noir Magnum
AVA: McMinnville
LOCATION: Vineyard Ln.
ELEVATION: 650’
SOIL TYPE: Jory
YEAR PLANTED: 1989
CLONAL MATERIAL: 100% Coury
VINEYARD SIZE: 135-acre vineyard, 1.4-acre PGC block
VINIFICATION: One 1.75-ton open-top fermenter done 100% destemmed and one 2.5 ton done 33% whole cluster.
PICKING DATE: 10/02/18
TONS/ACRE: 2.95
OWNERS: Laurent Montalieu
PRODUCTION: 258 cases bottled
Winemaking and Notes:We received enough fruit in 2018 to do one regular 1.75ton fermenter and one 2.5 ton fermenter. The 2.5 ton included a third of its volume as whole clusters. As in 2017 we went to slightly greater lengths to coax out a level of extraction from this vineyard so these fermenters were regularly pigeaged 2x/day as opposed to 1x/day for nearly everything else. It seemed a good choice in 2017 and since this is just our second vintage with this site we chose to repeat the process. We feel that the older vines combined with the clonal material and vine age could accept a more rigorous extraction process. The wine spent about 12 months in barrel in 25% new oak.
This wine’s stature comes from the combination of site characteristics and clone that are extremely rare in Oregon. The way they present themselves set them apart from all of our other wines. We strive to find unique places so that we can craft a large number of wines that are all very distinct. In this case we have found a block within a large site that offers us the ability to have a wine that feints at both being lean, austere, demure and tightly wound as well as being rich, broad-shouldered, structured, dense and provocative. At least in its youth that is the vibe it is giving off and the type of elasticity that it has. Few wines bring such an ability to move from both sides of the spectrum effortlessly with intent.
Site Characteristics: Hyland Vineyard is an isolated vineyard well out on the southern fringe of the McMinnville AVA. It’s an amazing old vineyard and the idea that someone either was crazy enough or had the temerity to plant a vineyard this far out in the middle of nowhere in 1973 is spellbinding. Many great vineyards in the world don’t look like they’re great vineyards. Some of the most notable vineyards look entirely ordinary. Hyland is not one of those. It is a towering amphitheater that opens to the east and the whole bowl is lined with vines that date back as far as the original plantings. Raptors soar through the trees that line the site and there are constant screeches from them as they hone in on their prey. The air is noticeably cooler up here on hot days, there is a consistent breeze but the sun feels more radiant here than in other sites. It is a unique and special place. The vineyard is farmed, at the very least, organically and every effort is taken to ensure the volcanic soil has incredible looseness and vibrancy to it. There is no question that this is one of Oregon’s standouts.
