This wine displays red fruit and dark cherry characters, both in the nose and on the palate. Wild cherry and juicy raspberry flavors intermingle with hints of spice. Pair this fruit-forward, satin-textured beauty with salmon or ahi, veal or pork, poultry (think duck) and hearty vegetarian entrees.
Detailed Info, Previous Vintage Notes, Reviews:
From the winery:
Wine Spectator's matt Kramer writes: "...If Adelsheim Vineyard has offered a better such bottling in its 35 years of existence, I cannot recall it."- the Oregonian 9/24/06
Kramer continues: "Adelsheim Vineyard "Willamette Valley" Pinot Noir 2005: The greatest effect of all the new pinot noir acreage in the Willamette Valley is a dramatic increase in the non-site-specific bottlings of Oregon pinot noirs. Simply (and bluntly) put, the best are equal or superior to many much more expensive, swinging-for-the-bleachers pinot noirs from single vineyards."
"As a result, producers such as Adelsheim Vineyards are issuing their finest "regular" pinot noirs ever. Given competition at this more economical end, their winemaking hand is necessarily restrained in using expensive new oak barrels. "
"This is lovely Oregon pinot noir: intense, redolent of wild cherries and raspberries and silken in texture. Everything has come together seamlessly: a classically cool Oregon vintage in 2005 that delivered pure fruit flavors and refreshing natural acidity; hands-off, purist winemaking; obviously superb raw material."
Red and black cherry fruits are the brightly dominant characteristics, both in the nose and on the palate. Wild cherry and raspberry also stand out and a hint of spice brings a light gingerbread note. The mouthfeel might best be described as liquid silk. Pairing suggestions include ahi, salmon, poultry (particularly duck!), veal, pork and hearty vegetarian entrees.
BACKGROUND The intent we bring to producing and blending the Willamette Valley Pinot noir is to unite the elements - especially the fresh fruit flavors - that typify Pinot noir in this region, albeit as tempered by the vagaries of the vintage. By blending the diverse flavors and textures of multiple vineyards, Winemaker Dave Paige produces a richly supple and focused Pinot noir.
GROWING SEASON It was an interesting year! Warm weather in February jump-started the vines, causing bud break to occur on March 29th, much earlier than usual. A combination of factors - a touch of frost, a tiny critter that caused "short shoot syndrome", and bad weather at bloom - took care of crop thinning for the year with no human intervention necessary. June, July, and much of August were very hot, but our heaviest August rain storm in a couple decades brought that to an end. Then, a nice stretch of dry weather, beginning in mid-September, allowed flavors to mature coolly and fully just before harvest.
VINEYARDS Our 2004 Willamette Valley Pinot noir is blended from several vineyards in the northern part of Oregon's Willamette Valley. The final blend consisted of 80% estate-grown fruit, from vineyards located on the south side of the Chehalem Mountains. The portion of grapes grown on sedimentary soils add a certain black fruit character in the bottle, but the red fruit flavors contributed by the basaltic-origin sites are predominant in the finished wine.
WINEMAKING We harvest by hand and gently de-stem into temperature-controlled, open-top fermenters. These are punched down once per day during a 4-6 day cold soak, then two or three times per day once the fermentation begins. Decisions about fermentation temperatures and the point of pressing are made with a view to maximizing extraction of fruit flavors while avoiding extraction of bitter tannins. Once in barrel (all French oak, 25% new) the wine underwent malolactic fermentation and 10 months of aging before the blend was assembled. As always, throughout the process methods were aimed at increasing complexity while preserving the intensity of fruit. Bottling took place in late August, 2005.
