APPELLATION
100%Yamhill-Carlton
BLEND COMPOSITION
100% Pinot Noir
CLONES
Pommard & 114
AGE OF VINES
Planted in 1999-2001
BOTTLED
February 2023
BRIX AT HARVEST
~24.5º
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
14%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
PRODUCTION
348 Cases
VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
2021 was the 2nd warmest growing season we have ever seen since 2015.We also got to add a new term to the dictionary: “Heat Dome”. Three straight days of triple digit temperatures in late June breaking heat records for the Willamette Valley! Bud break started like usual in the middle ofApril. We had the driest March through May that the Willamette Valley has seen through 128 years of record keeping! Bloom also appeared on time in early/mid June. While late June brought the “Heat Dome”, our grapes made it through thanks to bloom being finished at all our sites and there still being soil moisture, so they grew like crazy over those three days of hellish temperatures. While July and August turned out to be exceedingly hot and dry, September arrived with little rain which that allowed us to fully ripen the grapes. The hot and dry summer made for fruit that was extremely clean, resulting in for excellent fermentations. All in all, mother nature gave us something to be grateful for on our 50th anniversary.
WINEMAKING
The fruit was hand harvested from Kalita Vineyard on September 24th and brought back to our Estate winery were 80% was de-stemmed and the rest left whole-cluster. Over a 12-day period the wine went through an ambient fermentation in 3 ton stainless steel tanks with punch-downs for cap management on the de-stemmed fruit and pump overs on the whole cluster. The wine was aged for 16months in French oak barrels with 20% new oak. We selected the final barrels from a few different blocks Kalita vineyard that we thought stood out and really punctuated the style of wine Kalita is known for. For this cuvée we selected barrels in August of 2022, blended them all together in tank then returned the blend back to barrel to age another 5 months as the blend.
THE STORY
Kalita Estate Vineyard is located in the heart of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA in the Willamette Valley. This stunning, bowl-shaped vineyard was planted in 2000 by Arthur and Sherry Kalita; it is currently LIVE certified and we are transitioning the vineyard to organic certification.
WINE PROFILE
An abundance of black fruit right off the nose with fresh raspberry, black cherry, and with notes of blossom and floral influence. On the palate, blackberry, black currants, black cherry with fresh blossom. A big, rich Pinot Noir with perfect balance between fruit and tannins.
PAIRINGS
Roasted Chicken, Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, and a seared rack of lamb with morels.
SCORES
New Release – not yet rated.
APPELLATION
100%Yamhill-Carlton
BLEND COMPOSITION
100% Pinot Noir
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
13.5%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
Our 2015 Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir epitomizes everything Sokol Blosser has stood for in nearly
50 years of winegrowing in Oregon. Crafted to be a true expression of terroir from our hillside vines and
Jory soil, this wine is made from a low yield crop that is dry-farmed for quality and comprised of grapes that are all from Dijon, Pommard and Wadensvil clones. Our Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir captures and expresses the delicate fruit characteristics associated with this varietal, and we balance that with structure and ageability. This blend represents our entire Estate with barrels selected from nearly every corner of the property.
VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
2015 saw record heat growing degree days, encouraging the earliest bud break and bloom since we began growing grapes in 1971, and one of the earliest harvest dates on record. The large crop required fruit thinning to ensure we had enough fermentation space in the cellar. We finished bringing in fruit on September 22nd, the same day we started harvest in 2012. We have never seen a hotter year in Oregon. The one constant about growing grapes here is that every year is different and special. 2015 was a huge serving of both.
WINEMAKING
Handpicked, hand-sorted and carefully de-stemmed. Made with 100% Estate organic grapes, certified by the Oregon Department of Agriculture 100% barrel-aged in French oak for 17 months with 37% new barrels 13.5% alcohol by volume | 4,816 cases produced 10-15 year lifespan in a proper cellar.
PAIRINGS
Wild salmon, seared Ahi tuna, grilled venison sausage, duck, pork and rack of lamb. Our 2015 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir will hold up to the most intense flavors but not overwhelm.
SCORES
90 points – Wine Spectator
92 points – James Suckling
APPELLATION
100% Dundee Hills AVA
BLEND COMPOSITION
100% Pinot Noir | 100% Estate Grown
CLONES
777 & 667
AGE OF VINES
Replanted in 2000
BOTTLED
March 2020
BRIX AT HARVEST
23-25°
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
13.5%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
PRODUCTION
601 Cases
CERTIFICATIONS
Made with 100% certified organic grapes
VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
The spring of 2018 was warmer than the average over the previous 10 years, and fairly dry. Bud break happened in mid-April and Bloom in early June, which can be a treacherous undertaking as the spring weather can mess up a healthy flowering. A giant hail storm descended on the Dundee Hills in early June, but luckily none of our Sokol Blosser Estate crop was ruined. The summer started like one giant furnace; July was a hot month and we had a lot of above 90 degree days. Just when it seemed like the hot weather would not stop, August came and more moderate weather with it. This helped slow the ripening down, and even cooler weather in September allowed us to let the grapes hang longer, resulting in riper fruit without additional sugar accumulation. The 2018 vintage is our coolest growing season since 2012, and we believe it will be our best vintage since then.
WINEMAKING
The grapes were carefully hand harvested on September 23rd. They were then sorted by hand on the crush pad to remove any flawed bunches and 100% de-stemmed directly into several 3-ton stainless steel fermenters. Fermentation took place with a combination of ambient yeast, cultivated house yeast, and commercial yeasts. Cap management was done via gentle punch downs up to 2 times per day. The wine from this block was drained and pressed off the skins immediately following primary fermentation with 20 days of skin contact time. This wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels for 18 months, with 25% new oak.
WINE PROFILE
Our 2018 Orchard Block Pinot Noir has notes of tobacco, pomegranate, raspberry and black cherry on the nose, as well as a subtle hint of chantrelle and nutmeg. On the palate, pomegranate and raspberry shine through with red cherries and a subtle dash of clove. A delicate Pinot Noir, the 2018 Orchard Block has lower tannins and brighter acidity.
PAIRINGS
This wine pairs with creamy dishes such as Cacio e Pepe and mushroom dishes like wild mushroom risotto or roasted cauliflower with truffles.
SCORES
93 points – James Suckling
92 points – Wine Spectator
APPELLATION
100% Dundee Hills AVA
BLEND COMPOSITION
100% Pinot Noir | 100% Estate Grown
CLONES
Wädenswil 1A & 2A and Pinot Droit
AGE OF VINES
Replanted in 2007 & 2009
BOTTLED
February 2023
BRIX AT HARVEST
21.7-23.6°
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
13.5%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
PRODUCTION
384 Cases
VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
2021 was the 2nd warmest growing season we have ever seen since 2015. We also got to add a new term to the dictionary: “Heat Dome”. Three straight days of triple digit temperatures in late June breaking heat records for the Willamette Valley! Bud break started like usual in the middle of April. We had the driest March through May that the Willamette Valley has seen through 128 years of record keeping! Bloom also appeared on time in early/mid June. While late June brought the “Heat Dome”, our grapes made it through thanks to bloom being finished at all our sites and there still being soil moisture, so they grew like crazy over those three days of hellish temperatures. While July and August turned out to be exceedingly hot and dry, September arrived with little rain which that allowed us to fully ripen the grapes. The hot and dry summer made for fruit that was extremely clean, resulting in for excellent fermentations. All in all, mother nature gave us something to be grateful for on our 50th anniversary.
WINEMAKING
The grapes from this block were carefully harvested on September 24th and 25th. The clusters were then sorted by hand to remove any flawed bunches and 100% de-stemmed directly into 3ton stainless steel fermenters. Ambient fermentation was allowed to take place naturally with cap management by punch-downs. Once the fermentation process was finished, the wine was pressed of the skins at dryness and barreled down in 100% French oak barrels with 19% new oak and 18% neutral, and left to age for 16 months before bottling.
WINE PROFILE
Our 2021 Old Vineyard is red fruit forward and wet stone on the nose. You will find red cherry, plum and raspberry on the palate with a hint of clove.
PAIRINGS
Pinot Noir marinated tri-tip grilled and topped with a roasted pepper tapenade.
THE STORY
The Old Vineyard Block Pinot Noir comes from fruit harvested off of the initial section of the vineyard planted by founders Bill and Susan Sokol Blosser in the early 70s. Although replanted in 2007/2009 on rootstock, cuttings from fruiting vines were taken from the original plantings and grafted onto rootstock for the replant. In honor of our 50th anniversary, we have recreated our original label and have chosen this vineyard block to celebrate the occasion.
SCORES
92 points – James Suckling (2018)
93 points – James Suckling (2017)
91 points – Wine Spectator (2017)
APPELLATION
100% Eola-Amity Hills
BLEND COMPOSITION
100% Pinot Noir
CLONES
115
BOTTLED
September 2022
BRIX AT HARVEST
23º
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
13%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
PRODUCTION
249 Cases
VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
2021 was the 2nd warmest growing season we have ever seen since 2015. We also got to add a new term to the dictionary: “Heat Dome”. Three straight days of triple digit temperatures in late June breaking heat records for the Willamette Valley! Bud break started like usual in the middle of April. We had the driest March through May that the Willamette Valley has seen through 128 years of record keeping! Bloom also appeared on time in early/mid June. While late June brought the “Heat Dome”, our grapes made it through thanks to bloom being finished at all our sites and there still being soil moisture, so they grew like crazy over those three days of hellish temperatures. While July and August turned out to be exceedingly hot and dry, September arrived with little rain which that allowed us to fully ripen the grapes. The hot and dry summer made for fruit that was extremely clean, resulting in for excellent fermentations. All in all, mother nature gave us something to be grateful for on our 50th anniversary.
WINEMAKING
Located on 16 acres in the Eola-Amity Hills, this vineyard is comprised of volcanic soils and is influenced by cooling marine winds. The fruit wash and harvested from Blossom Ridge on September 26th and brought back to our Estate winery were 100% was destemmed. Over a 15-day period the wine went through an ambient fermentation in 3 ton stainless steel tanks with punch-downs for cap management. The wine was aged for 10 months in French oak barrels with 20% new oak.
WINE PROFILE
Our 2021 Blossom Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir has the perfect balance between red fruit, flowers, minerality and baking spices. Right off the bat there is cherry, strawberry, raspberry that is married wonderfully with notes of cinnamon and allspice and a hint of violets.
PAIRINGS
Mushroom risotto, duck confit, and a wood fired prosciutto and arugula white pizza.
SCORES
New Release – not yet rated.
APPELLATION
100% Dundee Hills AVA
BLEND COMPOSITION
100% Pinot Noir | 100% Estate Grown
CLONES
Wädenswil 2A & Pommard UCD4
AGE OF VINES
Replanted in 2006 & 2009
BOTTLED
April 2021
BRIX AT HARVEST
22.5°
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
13%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
PRODUCTION
345 Cases
VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
It was clear something was different with the 2019 harvest when fruit flies were spotted at Thistle Vineyard over Labor Day Weekend. The second sign was the dramatic shift in the weather forecast. At the end of August, we believed we would have a “warmer and drier” than average September/October. Sounds good huh?!?!? Then, at the end of September we got 2.7” of rain… which is double the average, and we had one of the coolest Septembers on record. We remembered and applied the key learnings from prior similar vintages in our approach to the 2019 harvest – get the grapes as ripe as possible with as little fruit degradation as possible. Even with a longer hang time this year the grapes had less sugar, high pHs and high acids. Consequently, we based our picking decision more on the taste of the juice and looking at the weather. We had 5 distinct rain events from when we started harvest on September 3 to when we ended picking on October 10th, and these individual rain events sometimes lasted multiple days. In the end, we got as much ripeness as possible and are very happy about what we put into
barrel.
WINEMAKING
The fruit for this wine was farmed organically on our estate, and was hand harvested at peak ripeness on September 26th and 28th. The picked fruit was de-stemmed and sent straight to fermentation with a combination of commercial yeast and our house native yeast cultivated from our vineyards. During it’s ~21 day fermentation, cap management was performed with strictly punch downs of the 3 ton fermenters, it was a cool vintage resulting in long, cool fermentations. Once the fermentation process was finished, the wine was pressed of the skins at dryness and barreled down in 100% French oak barrels with 24% new oak, and left to age for 16 months before bottling.
WINE PROFILE
On the nose, this wine expresses wet forest floor and mushrooms, complemented by prune, dried cherry and cinnamon. On the palate, the nose largely carries through, though it is joined by nutmeg and tobacco.
PAIRINGS
This wine will pair beautifully with boeuf bourguignon or lamb tagine.
THE STORY
The Watershed Block Pinot Noir comes from fruit harvested off of a section of the vineyard planted by founders Bill and Susan Sokol Blosser in the early 70s. Although replanted in 2006/2009 on rootstock, cuttings from fruiting vines were taken from the original plantings and grafted onto rootstock for the replant. The original section of the Estate vineyard has a diversity of clones present.
SCORES
92 points – Wine Spectator
94 points – Wine Advocate
92 points – James Suckling
92 points – Decanter
