Want to read about the crazy late harvest in Oregon’s Willamette Valley? We’re documenting harvest 2011 on our blog elevage.
See pictures from the vineyards and the winery, and get the first look at the 2011 wines to come from Vincent Wine Company.
Harvest 2011 begins Thursday for Vincent Wine Company. We’re picking everything from our blocks at Armstrong Vineyard on Ribbon Ridge and Zenith Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills. I am so excited. After this crazy growing season, where historic cold weather delayed budbreak until May and flowering until July, we’re near the end of October and finally we pick grapes.
How is the quality? We won’t really know until we have the fruit in the fermenters, but sugar levels are in the low 20s brix and pHs are in the 3.2 to 3.3 range. Just where I want them, for making wines with ripe flavors but energy, life, acid balance. Flavors are mixed, meaning some pretty explosive tasting berries and others with some bracing qualities that I prize. Let’s remember, we’re making wine, not fruit juice or eating grapes. I think grape flavors are overrated. Wine is a curing process. We’re taking raw meat and making bacon. There’s a big difference in the two. I’m looking for something in the final product that you can’t necessarily see in the raw material. What I want now are healthy, ripe grapes from a successful growing season. We have that.
And what a crazy growing season it was. A good indicator of a growing season here is at least 100 days from flowering until harvest, maybe 110 or longer depending on the season. Our early July flowering meant 100 days would be around October 12. In many years, we’d finish picking at that time. This year we knew we probably wouldn’t even begin until then. Crazy. Harvest is an outdoor activity. Does anyone think that outdoor events in the Willamette Valley in mid-October or later is a good idea?
Now, on the eve of October 20, we will finally pick. The grapes have had a long season after all. Turns out we’ve gotten the weather we need and things are turning out. I wouldn’t advise more seasons like this. Don’t plan an outdoor wedding this time of year. But for now, it looks like we might get lucky.
Stay tuned for more on harvest. Now I need some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long, and I hope great, day.
We are releasing our 2010 Vincent Wine Company Pinot Noirs on October 2, 2011, at the Slate in NW Portland. We’ll be joined by our friends and Guild Winemakers partners Helioterra Wines, who are also releasing new wines.
This event is open to the public. Come taste our new wines – no charge. All wines will be for sale. Mailing list members who bought wine futures can pick up their orders.
Details:
What: Vincent Wine Company – 2010 Wine Release Event, with Helioterra Wines
Where: The Slate, 2001 NW 19th Avenue in Portland, OR
When: Sunday, October 2, 2011, from 1-5pm
RSVP (nice, but not required): vincentwines@gmail.com
We hope to see you there!
We finished our 2010 Pinot Noir futures offering at the end of August. Thanks to the scores of mailing list members who bought the new wines.
We will release the 2010s at an wine release event in early October in Portland. We should have full details on that event this coming week. For now, we’ll pour again with Helioterra Wines. No charge for tasting both producers. All wines will be for sale to take home that day. If you bought futures plan to pick up your wines at the event. Bring friends. This event is open to the public.
Stay tuned for event date and time.
Here’s a link to Vincent Wine Company’s futures offering for all four of our 2010 Pinot Noirs.
http://eepurl.com/e3hIY
Special futures pricing is good through August 31, 2011. All wines remain available at this point but both single vineyard wines will be in short supply by the end of the month. Order soon to guarantee we’ll still have what you want.
All the blends are done and four different Vincent Wine Company Pinot Noirs are in tank and ready for bottling Thursday. I cannot wait to have everything safely in bottle.
To celebrate, I wrote the email newsletter for 2010 futures. To get it, get on our mailing list (see right). You get the best prices and access to wines that do not make it to retail shops.
This year’s wines:
2010 Vincent Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge “Armstrong Vineyard” – 50 cases
2010 Vincent Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills “Zenith Vineyard” – 50 cases
2010 Vincent Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge – 175 cases
2010 Vincent Pinot Noir Willamette Valley – 50 cases
Special futures pricing for the mailing list ends August 31, 2011.
We just did blending trials on all the barrels of 2010 Vincent Wine Company Pinot Noir. Looks like we’ll end up with four different wines:
Which means, it’s time to <a href=”“>sign up for our email list. Our futures offering goes out later in July and you’ll get the best prices we offer. Last year that meant our $24 Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir for just $18 if you buy a full or mixed case. Deals on our single vineyard wines too. And that new Willamette Valley bottling as well.
We look forward to having you on the list
