2008 Pinot Noir: in perfect balance

Funny how running a vineyard and managing a small brand tends to get in the way of social media. Maybe it says something about us baby boomers that it is a new way to communicate for us. Well I am more guilty than anyone but I decided it is high time to dust off the blog, maybe even post something on our face book page....and god knows, I might even tweet! Well that maybe going a bit too far but I have to say something about the 2008 vintage.

Most people don't realize that the 2008 vintage was slightly cooler than the 2007 vintage that was panned by critics. It is true that the 07 vintage was characterized by rain showers during harvest, but what critics didn't understand is that you can still make good wine with a little bit of rain, especially if you are on a steep, well drained, windy site. I would say that steep, south facing, windy sites at the right elevation are what separate great sites from good and mediocre sites in our part of the world. In 2007, a slightly warmer year than 2008, these sites made some wine that is turning out to be stellar. Don't believe me? Well my favorite wine at Lenné right now is our 2007 Lenné Estate Pinot Noir. It just tastes better than any of the 2008's at the moment.

But the 2008 Pinot Noirs will surpass the 07's at some point. As much as I like the 07's right now, there is a special quality about the 2008 vintage that needs to be fleshed out a bit. First, it was a moderate growing season which is always a good thing in the Willamette Valley. It was cool, but I always prefer cool over hot. While the fall was warmer in 2007, the 2008 vintage was marked by cool weather after the middle of September but dry for the most part. And the rain didn't come in earnest until November. So winemakers were able to let the grapes hang and develop flavor.

That isn't really any news but what often goes unnoticed is the fruit set. It is one of the most important aspects adding to the quality of the vintage. Berry size and the thickness of the skins are very important to the overall quality of a vintage. In 2007 we had small berries and clusters, just what I prefer to see. The clusters were uniform, but the skins were relatively thin. In 2008(and 2010 I might add), clusters and berries were small as well, but with thick skins.  That played a key role in determining the end wines. The cool, dry autumn let winemakers leave the fruit hanging so the copious skin tannins could develop. If the weather would have been hot, we would have had something more akin to 2006 where we were fighting rising sugars(and the resulting higher alcohol wines). Instead, we had gorgeous fruit that retained it's natural acidity, matured the skin tannins and developed loads of flavor due to the long hang time.

The resulting wines have perfect balance. They have a lot of very fine tannins, beautiful mouthwatering(not mouth puckering) acidity and deep, layered fruit. When you taste them you need to pay attention or you will miss them. You have to taste them over a day, get intimate with them, start to understand them and be mesmerized by them. They are fickle, coming out and then going back into hiding again.  And if you drink them now, you are wasting your money.

I have a friend who tells me that if you drink Burgundy before it is 15 years old you are an idiot. I tell him if I have to wait more than 5 years before I can enjoy a wine it probably isn't for me...I'm not getting any younger. But with the 2008's you need to wait a year or two and if you want an ethereal experience, longer than that.

So why will most consumers like the 2009 wines better? Well I suppose that is fodder for another post. 

 

 

 

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