Patricia Green Cellars
Pinot Noir Olenik Vineyard 2010

Review:

In 2009 we set out to find some new vineyard sites to replace the fruit we were losing from the older vines of Croft vineyard due to phyloxera (there is not a 2010 Croft Vineyard bottling). We happened to land in this terrific vineyard just down the road from us in the Chehalem Mountain Appellation. The initial block we received fruit from was 100% Wadensvil clone planted in 1991. While we are now getting fruit from a couple other sections of that site we are only using the Wadensvil for the Olenik Vineyard bottling. On one hand, this ensures the consistency and quality of this bottling, on the other hand it will mean a near 50% reduction in quantity from 2009 to 2010. Big bummer. This wine is something else and a near opposite of everything else from the vintage. This is a supremely darkly pigmented wine with aromatics and flavors that run that way. Likely due to the drastic lack of crop this ripened early and at higher brix than any other vineyard in 2010. This is a lush wine simply resplendent with blackberry notes, pumpernickel bread, kirsch, anise and soy sauce. This just has an immensely appealing way to it from aromatics to flavor to the supremely rich texture. It stops short of hedonistic but only by a bit. We have 8 barrels this year so this wine is going to go very quickly. Get on board with what you want the first time around because there likely won't be any re-orders this year. - the winery