Previous vintage tasting notes: The 1999 Soter Beacon Hill Brut Rose is an estate bottled single-vineyard sparkling wine from Tony Soter's family owned vineyard located 30 miles southwest of Portland, Oregon. This is the 3rd bottling of this wine scheduled for release in October, 2004. Just 400 cases were disgorged.
Detailed Info, Previous Vintage Notes, Reviews:
The Beacon Hill Vineyard sits at 300 feet elevation. It enjoys a favorable South West slope. The soils are comprised of two types; the Willakenzie soil series and the Carlton soil series. These soils are sedimentary, clay loam, 2-3 feet deep over fractured, siltstone and sandstone. The vineyard totals 22 planted acres of which 5 acres are dedicated to the production of sparkling wine. The varieties are Chardonnay (3.5 ac) and Pinot Noir (1.5 ac).
From the winemaker:
Our aim in producing sparkling wine has several points of emphasis that help distinguish this unique bottling. Growing concentrated grapes to the same high standard as our table wine and letting these grapes hang longer to reach a more profound level of development is essential to the aim of richness and bold flavors.
We want a sparkling wine with the emphasis on the "wine" so a complex array of elements comes to bear in the final blend. The base wines are all barrel fermented and aged extensively prior to blending. The final blend in this case is two thirds Chardonnay, from three different clones, and one third Pinot Noir which also includes the addition of full bodied red wine. The wines are bottle fermented and aged three to four years prior to riddling and disgorging. You will always find a disgorging date on the labels as a disclosure of freshness.
More important than the process is the result. Tasting the Beacon Hill Brut Rose you will find a sparkling wine that has bold, assertive flavors with suggestions of ginger, vanilla and cr?me brule accompanied by fresh red raspberries all punctuated precisely by fine pearly bubbles. In a world where so much bubbly is forgettable fizz this is a memorable sparkling wine.
Over the past twenty five years I have pursued many winegrowing challenges none more demanding than the intricacies of producing traditional, hand made, sparkling wines.
We are very proud of this bottling and are gratified that it has found a keen following.
