720 Cellars Pinot noir Croft Vineyard 05
A wine of assertive volume, ripe fruit, deep soil minerals, and balanced vine maturity, this wine is worthy of time in the glass while you work on your list of favorite adjectives. Sourced exclusively from Croft Vineyards, on the skirts of the Eola Hills in the Willamette Valley, this wine was made from a select series of Pommard (~65%) and Wadenswil (35%) clones, planted in 1991 and 1985. These vines, and all vines at Croft for that matter, have been farmed following organic practices since inception, and we are pleased to announce that this is our first Pinot Noir having winegrapes following organically grown certification.
The harvested clusters were gently destemmed and fermented in open topped containers, holding about 1.1 tons, or 1/2 acre each. Fermentation was long, slow, cool, and quiet, and we followed with a light pressing and unification of the free run and press fractions. Pressing day was very reminicent of velvety blue-winged butterflies waving whiffs of lavender and blueberries thoughout the winery. Seriously. The fresh wine was then barreled down to 20% new (and 80% progressively older) French oak barrels from the Allier and Nevers forests for 20 months. The wine was bottled by hand on a nice, sunny day in late July 2007 in the company of good friends. -- The Winery
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tasting Notes 2003 Vintage
A hit at Avalon's annual Wine Club tasting, this wine starts out with scents of raspberries, red cherries, and sweet pie spices. Flavors continue the red fruit tone, with the addition of a tiny hit of sasparilla and more soft spice. The finish is well balanced and long, with minimal hints of heat. A well made wine in a difficult vintage. Chris is a real up-and-coming winemaker, imho. Only enough left to send to the Reserve Pinot noir Club in 2006, we're looking forward to his next reserve wine.
Sold out, tasting notes here for reference only.
