Winemaker Notes
Winemaker Shane Moore writes, "This unique wine represents the lengths our team will go to in the cellar to produce the most profound wines possible. It is a 50/50 blend of Zena West block 1A clone 114 which was fermented as a 100% whole cluster lot and foot trodden twice a day for cap management by our Australian intern Emma; and Zena East block 6 clone 667 destemmed and fermented in small barriques with one head removed. Extremely limited quantities of both of these wines were produced, and the creation of a small auction blend using both components is the only possible way to make a wine such as this vailable."
"Beautifully ripe red fruit, intermingled with briary blackberry, and exotic aromas such as sandalwood and tamarind round out the nose. Hedonistic richness coats the palate up front framed by a solid core of tannin and acidity. This is followed by layers of fruit on the mid palate toward a finish so delicious I want to weep."
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.”
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.