Hyland Estates Coury Pinot Noir 2010

Planted in 1971 and spanning over forty acres, Hyland Vineyard's oldest plantings of Pinot Noir are from the famed "Coury" clone. Aptly named after Oregon wine pioneer, Charles Coury, and planted when very few vineyards existed in the Willamette Valley, the vineyard and clones have become an intriguing chapter in Oregon's wine history. In 1964, while studying viticulture and clonal adaptation in Alsace, Coury grew an affinity for a particular clonal selection of Pinot Noir. After smuggling the clone back into the United States in his suitcase, he promptly propagated it and began establishing a nursery stock. Several years later, the vines were purchased from Coury by the founders of Hyland Vineyard and planted in its Jory soils, located on a pristine, south-facing bench just north of the Van Duzer Corrisor in the McMinnville AVA. The resulting decades-old, gnarled vines have yielded fruit that has been sought after by many of Oregon's most prominent producers over the years and is now the proprietary source for this limited "Coury" selection. The tannins blend seamlessly with spice, black current, sweet cherry and flowers. Opulent mouth feel with layered fruit, notes of earth and vanilla char for a long vibrant finish.