Harvest:
Picked: September, 23-October 9, 2014
Yield: 3.11 tons/acre
Brix: 24.3
pH: 3.46
TA: 6.23 g/L
Fermentation:
Vessels: 6T Stainless Steel tank, 1.5T Macrobins
Duration: 15 Days
Aging:
Vessels: 100% French Oak, 20% New
Duration: 16 months
Bottling:
February 4-5, 2016
Alcohol: 14.3%
pH: 3.60
TA: 5.25 g/L
Residual Sugar: Dry
Production: 1248 cases
Vineyard:
Established in 1983, we are the second oldest vineyard in the McMinnville AVA. McMinnville is known for having intense, enduring wines. Some of our top soils were brought here over 15,000 years ago in the Missoula floods, which makes this area incredibly unique. We have the perfect climate for growing Pinot grapes; being in the rain-shadow of the Coastal Foothills, with winds that form from the Van Duzer corridor, and western facing sloping hillsides. All of the makes for unique wines of quality and distinction, grown 100% from our Estate.
Vintage:
2014 was an early year from the start, bud break happened in mid-April. A warm spring supported vine growth in preparation for flowering and fruit set, which were both earlier than usual as well. The vineyard manager and crew took extra care to pull leaves during this very vigorous growing season to keep disease stress down and it certainly paid off, the fruit came in clean and ripe. 2014 is fondly referred to as “the big and beautiful vintage” by YVV insiders. The long, hot growing season allowed us to have higher yields than usual while still delivering gorgeous quality fruit.
Winemaking:
Grapes were hand-picked and delivered to the crush pad where they were meticulously hand sorted, and de-stemmed into 1.5 ton macrobins. An overnight cold soak gets the extraction process started gently, then the following day yeast inoculations kick off a steady ferment that lasts 1-2 weeks. Ferments are punched down once daily in a gentle manner. At dryness, the free run is pumped off and the remaining must is gently pressed and kept separate, blending back a percentage that elevates the final barrel selection.
