2007 Twelve Pinot Noir 144 - Update

Opened a bottle of this last night. I'm completely biased, of course, but I am really starting to like this wine. Our reserves seem to need at least a year in the bottle before they start to integrate and show well, and this one was no exception. The fruit is emerging nicely - it's a focused, concentrated ball of red berry flavors, the tannins are there but not harsh nor bitter, and the acidity balances everything. I think this wine along with most of the 2007 vintage will improve with age for a long time. Here's a link to a review from a blogger based in Seattle .

And just to comment on the 2007 vintage in general, I attended the Willamette Valley Winegrowers Association dinner a couple of weeks ago and had the chance to taste some other 07s. There are a lot of good wines out there - I tasted an Evesham Wood that was great, and I should be punished for not remembering which blend it was. I can also highly recommend the Bishop Creek 07s. I should have taken notes on everything that I tasted - I'll do better next time. There's a Carlton event in February where I'll have the opportunity to taste a wide variety of 07s.

Sunrise - January 28, 2010

Our kitchen faces east, so if we're up early enough we can catch the sunrise. This one was particularly pretty. The mountain peak out in the distance is Mt. Jefferson.

Pinot Blanc Update

Good news on the Pinot Blanc. We've been sold out for months, but are getting close to bottling more. We should have some in the March-April timeframe.

Pruning Time

January is the month for pruning the vines. We cut off all of last year's growth except for the two shoots that will be tied down to the fruiting wire and become this year's canes. You can see the two shoots per plant in the picture and all the cuttings. We put the cuttings in every other row to minimize the number of rows we have to drive the tractor through with the mower. You can also see the cover crop in the rows which reduces erosion and adds nitrogen back to the soil.

This is the oldest block in the vineyard (25 years) which explains both the thickness of the trunks and why they are so far apart. Later this year we will be releasing an 08 reserve blend from these old vines that is simply the most elegant wine we've ever made. It's still resting comfortably in barrel while we do our normal agonizing over what to call it.

Flash Snow Storm

We were hit by a fast and intense snowstorm in late December. As is typical out here in Portland, all the TV weather people said there was zero chance of snow. We saw the fastest accumulation of 4-6 inches of snow that I've ever seen. It melted quickly over the next few days, but snow always makes the vineyard look beautiful. Here are a couple of pictures of the beginning of the storm.

Uh-Huh Sighting

There is or will be or was a case of our 2006 Uh-Huh Pinot Noir at the Allison Inn in Newberg. Sometime during the dinner I documented below, I or, more accurately, Dean Fisher from ADEA, committed one of my last three cases of this wine to Tom and the Allison. [Note: I am keeping the rest for myself.] We delivered to our distributor just before Christmas, so I believe you can try some if you get there soon. 91 points from the Wine Advocate and the best wine we've released to date.

Awesome Christmas Presents - Part Two

[UPDATE 1-24-10: I've since discovered two great uses for the power cap. We lost our power the other night and with the cap I didn't need a flashlight to move around. And the second, which is much more practical in the winery, involves looking into barrels to see where the level of the wine is. You have to do that all the time and now I won't need a flashlight. Very cool.]

I received something called a Panther Power Cap. It looked like a normal baseball hat, but had LED lights built into the brim. To be honest my first impression was what am I ever going to do with this. I included a picture of the hat with the original label - it not only lights up, but does it in three different ways.

So about ten minutes later I had to get behind the stereo system ro reconnect a DVD player. My stereo is of course in a cabinet against a wall and has lots of wires that I'd have to disconnect to pull it out far enough for easy access to the back. So I usually wind up doing the 45 degree tilt, sliding it out a bit, and groping around to connect cables.

The hardest part is reading the tiny text under the connectors that tells you what's what in the back. So I put on the Power Cap and shazam! I could read the text on the connectors without needing a flashlight. Then later in the day I needed to get some wine out of the cellar. I have a light fixture that is intermittant. And now more times than not it just doesn't light. That's why I have a flashlight by the door. I donned the Power Cap, switched it on high, and again could easily read labels and find bottles.

I'm now officially sold. Our circuit breakers are in a room under the stairs with no light at all and I can't wait to use the Cap when something trips.