"Cardwell
Hill Cellars is located in the Willamette Valley near Corvallis, Oregon.
The vineyards
are planted on the south
slope of Cardwell Hill where subterranean water provides a natural irrigation
system.. The Manet vineyard was originally planted in l984 with the Wadensvil
clone. To this we have added the newer Pommard, Dijon 115 and Dijon 777
clones. In 2003 we purchased additional acreage which we have christened
the Degas vineyard. There we have planted Dijon 115 and will add Pinot
Gris in the coming year."
"The vineyards
are maintained by our full time vineyard staff. Quality is the key
as we use sustainable
agriculture techniques and meticulous
care. Dry farming is achieved as subterranean moisture moves slowly down
the large hillsides thereby providing just the right amount of moisture
during the key summer months."
"The hand
picked harvest is monitored to assure that only the quality clusters
are used. Leaf control is
also achieved in the field. A second
layer of control is achieved prior to destemming as workers examine all
clusters on a slow moving conveyor belt. The destemmer is set to maximize
the yield of whole berries that fall into the fermentation tanks. Fermentation
is achieved in 2-2.5 ton open top stainless steel tank. A cold soak precedes
the fermentation step to assure that the maximum transfer of color is
achieved thereby assuring a rich deep color to the final product. The
cap is manually punched down twice each day to enhance the extraction
of juices and color. Both free run and press wines flow via gravity from
the fermentation deck to the barrel room, which is located below. The
press wine is carefully controlled to extract the valuable wine without
compression of the seeds."
"The wines are aged for approximately 10
months in a combination of new and slightly used French Oak barrels.
The new
barrels are Seguin Moreau and the used barrels are a combination of Seguin
Moreau and Francois Freres. The wine is racked part way through the aging
process to control the amount of oak flavors transferred to the wine."
Very nice for the price, one of 2004's better deals in "everyday" Pinot.
Dark garnet color, the nose has lovely perfumed red fruit notes and hints of sasparilla, cola, and spice. Flavors of s ...read more
