current release
2022 DUNDEE HILLS INCLINE pinot noir
winemaker notes
A great expression of the jory soils of Dundee Hills, this wine has a humble spirit while displaying elegance. Luxuriously red-purple-hued, with aromas of ripe cherry with notes of black tea. Well-integrated tannins balance the fresh fruitiness, and the palate lingers with complexities. This vintage of Dundee Hills Incline is wonderful now but great to age for the next decade.
winemaking details
Sourced from our organically-farmed Iron Filbert Vineyard in the Dundee Hills, largely featuring Pommard clones. As always, we foster 100% native, spontaneous fermentations. While the previous vintage was whole-cluster dominant, we destemmed all the fruit in 2022. The final blend combines stainless and concrete ferments with an average of 20 days on skins before pressing. This wine aged 11 months on lees in 10% new oak. Alcohol of 13%.
vintage notes
The 2022 growing season in the Willamette Valley began with a mild winter that turned into a warm and dry March, prompting an earlier bud break. A one-in-every-50-year weather phenomenon occurred in mid-April with a frost event, followed by cool and wet weather in late April and May. The frost and subsequent conditions affected buds that had begun emerging from dormancy and set vine growth back 2 to 4 weeks. Thankfully, warm weather came in late June, just in time for flowering phases, and helped produce a great fruit set and rapid shoot growth.
Summer was marked by a few heat spikes, but the water-soaked soils from a wetter spring allowed the vines to produce a healthy canopy and carry them through the season. Late summer and early fall witnessed cool nights and warm days, which facilitated the retention of acidity in the grapes and prolonged hang time. October was hotter than average, allowing the grapes to fully mature before cooler temperatures arrived. Overall, the season remained moderate and ideal for grape maturation.
The vineyard management practices employed during the 2022 growing season played a crucial role in shaping the quality of the wines. Meticulous vineyard management efforts resulted in outstanding grape quality for the 2022 vintage. Pinot Noir, the flagship grape of the Willamette Valley, demonstrated exceptional depth and complexity. The berries achieved optimal phenolic ripeness, offering a balance of rich fruit flavors, vibrant acidity, and well-integrated tannins.
wine information
Fruit for this label is sourced from our organically farmed Iron Filbert Vineyard in the Dundee Hills. 690 cases were produced in 2022.
reviews
2021 vintage | 95 points Wine Spectator
A compelling wine that slowly reveals its details, offering expressive raspberry and blueberry flavors that take on accents of black tea, mineral and baking spices, building toward medium-grained tannins. — TF
2016 vintage | 94 points Wine Spectator
Harmonious and polished, showing a dynamic structure, this offers notes of raspberry, violet and crushed stone, taking on richness toward well-toned tannins. Drink now through 2025. — TF
2017 vintage | 96 points James Suckling
Beautiful depth and purity here, this is an elite pinot in all respects. Complex, spicy and meaty notes abound with ripe dark-cherry aromas holding court. The palate has a silky, long and succulent feel with impressively concentrated dark cherries.
2018 vintage | 94 points Wine & Spirits