2006 Growing Season ~
Undoubtedly a fine vintage that will receive lavish praise from the critics and US consumers due to it's ripeness and ample supply. The 2006 growing season got off to a later than usual start with budbreak lagging one to two weeks into the end of April and beginning of May. During bloom, light rains persisted, raising concerns of disease pressure and a third vintage of lower yields. Yet, in the end, bloom and set was fine and the summer was hot and dry settling into a consistent pattern of warm, sunny days and cool nights. Canopy management was ever important this year to protect the fruit from sunburn and maximize physiological ripeness. We had several heat spikes during the middle of summer which witnessed the thermometer reading over 100 degrees Farenheit. July brought several brief showers which supplied he vines enough strength to make it through to harvest without irrigation, while also retaining the distinct aromatic qualities distinctive to Oregon Pinot Noir. September brought a cooling trend and while the brix shot up early on, ripeness followed several weeks later. Most of our estate vines were defoliating by the time we picked, indicating water stress. That said, harvest was our easiest to date, and all appreciated the smooth sailing at our Estate Vineyard after beginning on September 14th and concluding on October 6th. There was no measurable rain during the period and daytime average temperature ranged from the low 60F to low 70F. It was hard to believe we'd just completed our sixth crush and mother-nature had given us yet another wonderful harvest.
2006 Harvest ~
We harvested approximately 52 tons of fruit in 2006 comprised of the following:
- 28.75 tons of estate Pinot Noir for our Estate and Cuvee Giselle Pinot Noirs
- 7.6 tons of estate Pinot Noir for the 'S' Pinot Noir
- 4 tons Pinot Noir from the Ana Vineyard, Dundee Hills, OR (Pommard clone)
- 5 tons Pinot Gris from multiple vineyards in OR (Del Rio, Guadalupe, Croft, Quail Run)
- 6 tons Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot from the Klipsun Vineyard, Red Mountain, WA
In our opinion, the wines from the 2006 vintage have been promising from the start and our enthusiasm for the vintage only increased as we entered harvest. The wines in barrel revealed an upfront opulence similar to 2002-2004 and coupled with tremendous tannin structure led us to wonder if the test of time would reveal more greatness or a vintage that would be best if consumed in the first one to ten years of it's lifetime.
2005 Growing Season ~
| The Wine Spectator rates the 2005 vintage ~ 90-95 Drink or hold. Well-balanced wines; limited yields |
In our opinion, vintage 2005 can be exemplified in many ways as a 'tough love' growing season. Could it be that somewhere in the midst of adversity, something really good or even great might emerge? The 2005 growing season began and ended as a challenging vintage - and yet one of which we are extremely fortunate and proud. The growing season got off to a stressful start with a less than perfect bloom , and yet through the dry summer all appeared well. Next, rodents (vols) attacked some vineyards; while those escaping were equally threatened by bird damage. September brought mild daytime temperatures and chilly nights followed by the first rain on September 30th. Those who exercised patience, while observing the color of the canopy change, were rewarded with grapes revealing phenolic maturity and ultimately giving way to wines of great balance, purity and presence. Sugars were more modest in comparison to '02-'04, exemplifying what some have labeled a more classical vintage. Perhaps the 2005 vintage can best be described as a combination of the racy 1999 and the opulent 2004 vintages in Oregon with many wines now showing great complexity, depth and elegance.
The rains we had in March to July led to an incredible growth spurt of foliage in the vineyard. This was wonderful for the most recent planting in the Fall of 2003. These young vines were thriving and are even produced some fruit – of which we decided to drop so the plants could continue to focus their energy toward healthy development.
Yet growth was not limited to the young vines as the mature vines, unfortunately, produced long canes up to 7-8 feet that required much labor to manage their canopy as we trimmed back to 5 feet several times. Many canes had several smaller canes (secondary shoots) proliferating; whereas historically, this has only been the case in the dampest portions of the vineyard.
When winegrowers see evidence of so much energy going toward green growth – they call the vineyard vigorous. This vegetal vigor, can often result in “green flavor” layers. Thus, hedging or trimming the canes, redirects the energy of the vine toward the fruit. Good hedging, ironically, includes leaving the secondary shoots as the leaves on secondary shoots are most efficient when the fruit is ripening. The secondary shoots can assist the vine for next years growth. We have left most of the secondaries in tact, and remove some to allow light and airflow through the canopy.
This year, as in 2004, we’ve had a light set with many clusters comprising of only 50-60 berries out of the couple of hundred flowers it had a bloom. This was a result in light rains during the flowering time period in early May (verify). We will likely not thin fruit beyond uneven ripening of shoulders and wings as each cane is holding only one or two clusters.
Thus, 2005 vintage could be another of fantastic quality. Because of the late Spring rains, the vines have lots of leaves to make sugar for the grapes with relatively few grapes to ripen. It’s analogous to a racecar with a powerful engine… “we could see some high performance wines come out of the vintage.” We hoped for full ripeness after veraison, and were given generous acids and tannins. We began seeing color change on August 5th (veraison). If the weather stays temperate and dry, then acidity and flavor retention will also be excellent. Another great vintage for Oregon!
2004 GROWING SEASON
Veraison (coloring of the berries) began at our estate vineyard in late July, three weeks early! We projected one of the earliest harvests on record; likely beginning the first or second week of September. The clusters were fully sized in August, and are extremely small, weighing about 50 grams each – less than 2 ounces! We normally expect 120 gram clusters. The berries are very small and there are many tiny “shot berries” in each cluster. We are projecting less than two tons fruit per acre per the set and dropping some lagging clusters, wings and shoulders. Consequently, we expect to harvest 20-30% less fruit then we had anticipated.
Because of these low yields, 2004 wine quality should be excellent, but there won’t be as much of it. Tiny berries mean high skin to juice ratio, which deepens color and concentration. Low yields are crucial for great quality. An early harvest is always a blessing in Oregon because there should be good weather.
You may ask what caused this natural reduction in crop size. Essentially, the growing season began with the driest spring in 60 years. Bud break was a couple of weeks early and bloom began about 3 weeks early on May 24th. As luck would have it we finally got some rain, but it happened during bloom and fruit set, and we have had virtually no rain since May. A grape has male and female parts and fertilizes itself. The flower at bloom has pollen on the ends of the stamen which fertilizes the pistal in the center of the tiny flower. Because of rain and wind at this crucial time, fertilization was not complete for all the “embryo” grapes. Unfertilized grapes will dry and fall off the cluster or remain tiny seedless “shot berries” in the cluster. Furthermore, we've had some very hot days. During International Pinot Noir Celebration, at the end of July, it was 105 degrees for two days. Lachini Vineyards are irrigated and thankfully, we can prevent vine stress in drought conditions. The Lachini Vineyard is at moderate elevation (200-450 feet) on Willakenzie series soils. All of our vines are all in good shape, but rapidly moving toward ripeness. We have been moderating leaf pulling and consider ourselves fortunate to not have any damage such as sunburn on the clusters.
2004 CRUSH NOTES
The wines were aged in ~ 20% new French Oak barrels with the balance consisting of one-two year old barrels. We are quite pleased with the wines and would characterize the 2004 vintage as more refined, with more finesse than the recent ’02 & ’03 vintages. The rains in early Sept. were a blessing in disguise as they, along with the temperatures gradually cooling, allowed for the grapes to slow their development in order to achieve their natural physiological ripeness. The vintage will again be with wine of good color and high alcohol.
WE CONTRACTED OUR FIRST NON-ESTATE VINEYARD SOURCE ~
Beginning with the 2004 vintage, we were delighted to have contracted 2 acres of 25 year old vines (Pommard clone) from the Ana Vineyard (formerly Weber Vineyard) located in the Red Hills of Dundee. This vineyard is adjacent to the famed Arcus Vineyard and has been a staple for a few noted wineries and some of the best wines in OR over the last 20+ years. The 2004 growing season yielded a total of 1.58 tons for our two acre plot in the Ana Vineyard - that's less than 0.8 tons/acre and some wonderful, expressive juice!
