Colene Clemens Dopp Creek Pinot Noir 2016
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Our earliest vintage to date, we harvested fom September 11th through September 22nd. The fruit was 100% destemmed into small stainless steel tanks and begins with a 4—5 day cold soak. Following this, tanks are gently warmed, and fermentation by indigenous yeast begins and proceeds for 10-14 days. During primary fermentation, the tanks are gently punched down by hand twice daily. Once fermentation is complete, we allow for 5-7 days of extended maceration in tank before we drain the tanks and press the skins and seeds very gently to procure the remaining juice. Both the free run juice and pressed juice then go directly to barrel without settling. The wine was aged for 11 months in 35% new, 39% 1 year, 26% 2 year old French oak barrels.
Clonal composition: 24% Dijon 777, 24% Dijon 115, 21% Pommard, 17% Dijon 667, 14% Wädenswil
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Polished and elegantly layered, with expressive raspberry, crushed stone and spice flavors that build richness and complexity on a long finish. Drink now through 2024.
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Located in the western end of Dopp Road where the Chehalem Mountains converge with Ribbon Ridge, this 122-acre property was acquired in 2005 and first planted in 2006. Starting at 350ft of elevation and rising to 650ft, this rocky south facing hillside is a mix sedimentary and volcanic soils, predominantly Wellsdale and Witzel. Current plantings now total 40 acres divided up among 5 different clones of Pinot Noir, 3 Dijon as well as Pommard and Wadensvil.
Colene Clemens farming practices can best be described as sustainable, utilizing organic methods whenever possible. They put a heavy influence on soil work and incorporate a lot of “green” manure as well as the production and application of their own compost. Colene Clemens is a firm believer in low yields and as such have practiced extreme crop reduction through both conservative, short pruning and green harvesting. All fruit is hand harvested at optimal physiological ripeness and picked into quarter-ton macrobins for transport up to the winery.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
The Chehalem Mountains is a northwest-southeast span of several distinct mountains, ridges and peaks in the northern part of the Willamette Valley. Of all of Willamette Valley's smaller AVAs, it is closest to the city of Portland. Its highest summit, Bald Peak at an elevation of 1,633 feet, serves to generate cooler air for the rest of the AVA and its hillside vineyards. The region covers 70,000 acres but only 1,600 acres are planted to vines; soils of the Chehalem Mountains are a mix of basalt, ocean sediment and loess.