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2005 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir
We taste all of our barrels of wine many times throughout the year. We experience the evolution of flavors and aromas and remember the significant events in our vineyard. The excitement of an early bloom, the mystery of a very light fruit set, the discovery of color change at veraison and the rapture of harvest. Tasting each barrel of wine provides us a snapshot in time. We experience the wine’s development. Every vineyard block and clone/rootstock combination showcases something unique and special from the vineyard. After fermentation is complete, the wine is placed into a selection of barrels to mature. We source French oak barrels from several coopers. The wine takes a different path to maturity in each barrel, developing its own nuances. Again this year, we selected the barrels of wine that offered the most intrigue and began to blend them together. After repeated trials, a very special blend began to emerge. This blend consistently demonstrated the full palate of aromas, flavors and textures of Oregon Pinot Noir. Amalie’s Cuvée is this blend. Yield: 1.78 tons per acre providing 0.88 bottles per vine. Tasting Notes: The 2005 growing season was a welcome relief from the recent warmer vintages and was a return to cool climate viticulture. The resulting wines show beautifully developed aromatics, lush red fruits and trenchant acidity. Look for great aging potential in these wines. Amalie’s Cuvée showcases the finesse and beauty of our vineyard. We look for barrels that offer complexity, subtle nuances with layers of fruit and texture. This wine’s power is in its seductive enchantment. The aromas are of wild red raspberry, candied Montmorency cherries, the citrus of a yellow rose and dried lavender. On the palate, this wine is a minuet of textures and flavors in tune with the purity of Pinot noir. Red fruits lead to blue fruits and a core of sweet rich earthiness. The finish is long and lingering with finely integrated tannins and balanced acidity. Unfined and unfiltered. Production: 150 cases produced. Pommard (67%), Wadenswil (23%) and Dijon Clone 113 (10%) Accolades: Josh Raynolds - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar May/June 2007 Dark red. Brooding cherry and dark berry aromas are further deepened by suggestions of tobacco and dark chocolate. Dark cherry and cherry skin flavors are given a juicy quality by a tangy mineral note and supported by firm tannins. Finishes fresh and sweet, with the bitter cherry note repeating. This is pretty wound up right now and should benefit from a year or so of bottle age. 89 (+?) points. |
