Product Description
TASTING
Deep crimson in color, the wine opens with inviting aromas of dried herbs, sweet cedar, rose hip and lavender. Flavors of sweet baking spice and blueberry pie transition into a luscious palate bursting with black raspberries, rhubarb and currants. The fruit persists with beautiful length as the wine finishes with notes of fig jam and dark chocolate cherries.
VINEYARD
At the crest of Savannah Ridge in the Yamhill-Carlton District AVA, Russell-Grooters Vineyard is planted in Wellsdale Loam at 200 – 475 feet of elevation on an uplifted, ancient sea floor. Tall fir trees mark the top of the vineyard and provide natural hunting perches for birds of prey, where a sweeping view of Willamette Valley opens across the south – from the Coast Range to Oregon hops country and beyond. The ridge’s east-west orientation combined with its consistent topsoil depth of thirty inches creates a broad southern exposer that ripens fruit evenly throughout the season. Owners Save rooters and Robin Russel employ organic farming methods in commitment to producing top quality grapes. The vineyard is LIVE Certified (Low Input Viticulture and Enology), which certifies that international standards of sustainability are in place to preserve human and natural resources. We source two clones of Pinot Noir from this property; Dijon 828 and Wadenswil.
VINTAGE
The warm, long growing season brought us a second straight harvest of exceptional fruit. Looking back a warmer than average winter led to an early bud break and nearly six months of charmed growing conditions. Just before harvest, the vineyards were able to enjoy some needed rain, but the skies were largely clear. Starting in early September, as temperatures cooled slightly, we picked for two weeks, bringing in pristine, healthy fruit. In the bottle, the 2015s are outshining even the beautiful 2014s. with their own character, intensity and balance.