2023 Estate Vineyard, Coury Clone Pinot Noir
The Block: In the spring of 2000 we took over the farming of what is now our Estate Vineyard from Autumn Wind Winery and Vineyard. Even though the purchase of the property and business would not occur until later that year we were entrusted with running the operation as if it were our own already. The vineyard was only around 22 acres at the time with a good deal of plantable land available. There were also areas that needed to be addressed. This block was one of those. This was originally planted in 1985. It is on a very steep facing at the apex of the vineyard’s hillside. The terraces that had been built to account for the hill’s grade were collapsing making tractor work hazardous. On top of that years of soil neglect had created an extremely untenable growing environment for the plants. We decided to tear this section out and start again. At this juncture Dijon clones were quite fashionable (not they are not now, just more so in an outsized sort of way back then) and since the vineyard was solely Pommard and Wadensvil we decided to plant Dijon 777. The decision never panned out. Despite having the Etzel Block to its west, the Wadensvil Block to the north and the Hallelujah Block (the largest portion of the Estate Old Vine) this block never produced wine anywhere near the quality of its neighbors. For 15+ years we saw harvests produce wines that usually were scheduled for our Willamette Valley bottling rather than something more unique and individual. While clonal makeup is not the defining character of terroir it is an aspect and in this case we felt that aspect was holding things back. In the spring of 2019 we traded some vineyard management expertise for cuttings of our block of Coury Clone at Freedom Hill Vineyard. Given our success there and at Hyland Vineyard with this unique, Oregon-based clone we felt like we could maximize the setting. In one vintage, not counting the smoke taint-befouled 2020 vintage, we found that we were proven correct.
Farming Practices: We have done the management of this property internally since we purchased it in 2000 with the exception of 2014 and 2015 when Sterling Fox’s management service did the work. Also, at that time, the vineyard was switched entirely to organic farming practices and remains so to this day. The vineyard has always been dry farmed.
Picking Dates, Tonnages, Tons/Acre: Picked on September 14, 2021. 4.42 tons (3.36 tons/acre).
Vinification: Three fermenters, all 1.75 ton open-top fermenters with 100% destemmed fruit.
Winemaking: Fermentations were managed exclusively by pigeages to ensure gentle handling, extraction and delicate tannin construction. Cold soaks lasted for 4 days for both fermenters. Full fermentation from beginning to pressing lasted 17 days. A 48-hour settling of pressed wine occurred prior to being racked to barrel. All barrels were on full lees until assemblage for bottling. Bottled without fining or filtration.
Barrels: This 11-barrel bottling consists of 3 new Cadus barrels (28%) and 5 (45%) once or twice filled with the remainder rounded out by neutral barrels. Wine was in barrel until late July and bottled in late August allowing for around 10 months in barrel.
Notes: The Estate Vineyard, Coury Clone bottling exists because it is both delicious and unique but also because it shows a particular aspect of this vineyard and the Ribbon Ridge AVA as a whole. We took a long look at the Dijon 777 and just felt we were not getting the specialness that lay within the soil which is why we ultimately decided to use Coury Clone as the replacement. We have had extraordinary results from our Freedom Hill and Hyland fruit and our idea was that the clone would work beautifully in the Estate Vineyard. We feel that our expectations have been matched. The combination of our site’s soil profile (marine), the steep east facing hillside and the unique qualities of Coury Clone all show up in ways that give this wine the unique expression we thought this block had lingering in it, unrealized by the Dijon 777 planting. This is very stylish and a wonderful, unique addition to the Estate Vineyard corral of wine. The wine finished with numbers of a TA of 5.7, a pH of 3.49, a free sulfur level below 25 ppm and a total sulfur below 70 ppm.
Tasting Note: Please be aware that I am loathe to write tasting notes on our wines. Each person has an individual palate and therefore unique experiences with every wine. Also, what a person has tasted in their life and what they enjoy informs them on what a wine is like. If I tell you a wine tastes like cherries and you either have never had a cherry or don’t like cherries what I am saying is irrelevant information. That being said I have been asked to include my thoughts on each wine (since we have so many).
The 2023 Estate Vineyard, Coury Clone is only the second bottling from this block since it was grafted in 2019. So, to say this is the best bottling from this block is faint praise, however, it is still true and the 2021 Coury Clone bottling was a monster starter wine. This is the most crystal clear and red-fruited wine coming off the vineyard. The fruit is intense and sweet but the acidity allows for the brightness to dominate the palate giving the wine delicacy and lift. The familiar Coury Clone notes of orange pekoe tea leaf make an appearance and will likely become more prominent as the intensity of the primary fruit settles in with some bottle age. The tannins only appear at the end, providing a stronger grip than the wine’s more demure nature suggests and giving the wine length and dimension. This will reward extreme patience and those that can allow this to rest for more than a decade will see the benefits in spades.
