APPELLATION
100% Dundee Hills AVA
BLEND COMPOSITION
100% Pinot Noir | 100% Estate Grown
CLONES
Pommard UCD4
AGE OF VINES
Replanted in 1998
BOTTLED
April 2021
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
13%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
PRODUCTION
354 Cases
CERTIFICATIONS
Made with 100% certified organic grapes
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 grapes from this block were carefully hand harvested on September 21st. The clusters were then sorted by hand to remove any flawed bunches and 100% de-stemmed directly into 3 ton stainless steel fermenters. The wine was inoculated with our house native yeast and spent 14 days fermenting with cap management done with only punch downs. This was a cooler vintage with long, cooler ferments. After being pressed at dryness the wine was aged entirely in French oak barrels for 16 months with 29% new oak. 14 barrels were hand selected for this blend.
WINE PROFILE
On the nose, this wine shines with notes of red cherry, craisin, allspice, toast, moss and dried raspberry. On the palate, the cherry becomes darker, as the fruits and spice are joined by oyster mushrooms.
PAIRINGS
This wine will pair nicely with seared king trumpet mushrooms and beef tenderloin.
SCORES
92 points – Wine Advocate
90 points – Wine Spectator
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
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
13%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
PRODUCTION
345 Cases
CERTIFICATIONS
Made with 100% certified organic grapes
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 destemmed and sent straight to fermentation with a combination of commercial yeast and our house native yeast cultivated from our vineyards. During its ~21 day fermentation, cap management was performed with punch downs of the 3 ton fermenters. 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.
SCORES
94 points – Wine Advocate
92 points – James Suckling
92 points – Wine Spectator
92 points – Decanter
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
February 2023
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
13.5%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
PRODUCTION
535 Cases
CERTIFICATIONS
Made with 100% certified organic grapes
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 excellent fermentations. All in all, mother nature gave us something to be grateful for on our 50th anniversary.
WINEMAKING
The fruit for this wine was farmed organically on our Estate, and was harvested at peak ripeness on September 23rd. The picked fruit was destemmed in 3-ton stainless steel fermenters and ambient fermentation was allowed to take place naturally with cap management by punch-downs. Once the fermentation process was finished, the wine was pressed off the skins at dryness and barreled down in 100% French oak barrels with 18% new oak and 64% neutral, and left to age for 16 months before bottling.
WINE PROFILE
Watershed is big and bold, with notes of bright intense red fruit. This is followed by a long finish with hints of cinnamon and tobacco.
PAIRINGS
Serve with classic smoked turkey and a blackberry sauce or roasted quail.
SCORES
93 points – Wine Spectator
APPELLATION
100% Dundee Hills AVA
BLEND COMPOSITION
100% Pinot Noir | 100% Estate Grown
CLONES
An obscure Pinot Noir clone, internally referred to as the “12-Row clone”
AGE OF VINES
Replanted in 2007
BOTTLED
February 2023
°ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
13%
PROPER CELLAR
LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
PRODUCTION
299 Cases
CERTIFICATIONS
Made with 100% certified organic grapes
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 were carefully hand harvested on September 15th, hand-sorted to remove any flawed bunches and 100% de-stemmed directly into several 3-ton stainless steel fermenters. Fermentation took place mostly with ambient fermentation and partially with commercial yeasts, along with regular punch downs for cap management. The wine was left for a long settling after it was drained and then pressed off the skins in order to have the wine as clean as possible going down to barrel. This wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels for 16 months, with 17% new oak and 75% neutral.
WINE PROFILE
On the nose, the 2021 Twelve Row has red fruit framed by a hint of leather. The palate carries medium acidity with dark current and leathery tannins.
PAIRINGS
This wine will pair nicely with a grilled ribeye or braised lamb shank.
SCORES
90 points – Wine Enthusiast
THE STORY
Twelve Row Block rests just North of Peach Tree Block and West of Orchard Block. Twelve Row Block is one of the original sites planted by the Sokol Blosser Family in the 1970s. This is a unique block on our vineyard with gamay like clones. The family thought they were sold gamay vines back in the ‘70s. It is not gamay, it is an atypical clone of pinot noir that has yet to be specifically identified, so internally it is referred to as the Twelve Row clone.
APPELLATION
100% Dundee Hills AVA
BLEND COMPOSITION
100% Pinot Noir | 100% Estate Grown
INGREDIENTS
100% Estate Pinot Noir grapes, tartaric acid, SO2
5-5OZ SERVINGS PER CONTAINER
Calories: 123
Carbohydrates: 3.5g
CLONES
777 & 667
AGE OF VINES
Replanted in 2000
BOTTLED
February 2024
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
14.5%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
~10–15 Years
PRODUCTION
585 Cases
CERTIFICATIONS
Made with 100% certified organic grapes
VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
What started as a dry winter turned into a deluge of rain in the springtime. We had the wettest and coldest April/May/June in recorded (130 years) history. Freezing temperatures on the morning of April 14th and 15th knocked back the fragile new growth and we thought our crop yields would be down by 50-60%. In over 51 years of growing grapes here in the Dundee Hills we have never seen a freezing event during the growing season, so we had no idea what was going to happen. The primary buds froze and died, but the secondary buds came on, produced fewer but larger clusters, and the vines made a miraculous comeback. We had the 2nd warmest and driest summer on record, and then we got to October. Everything depended on good ripening conditions in the month of October since bloom was much later. Fortunately we got the warmest October in Oregon history, we were able to let the grapes hang, and the rains stayed put until all our Estate fruit was in on Thursday, October 27th. The fruit got nice and ripe, and we are thrilled with the wine produced from this vintage!
WINEMAKING
The grapes were harvested on October 10th and 100% destemmed before fermenting in 3-ton stainless steel tanks. The wine aged for 16 months in 13% new, 8% once filled, and 79% neutral French oak barrels.
WINE PROFILE
A quintessential Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, Orchard Block has aromas of fresh blueberries and bright cherries. The tannins are delicate with notes of bright cherry preserves and red currants.
PAIRINGS
This wine pairs with creamy dishes such as Cacio e Pepe and mushroom dishes like wild mushroom risotto or roasted cauliflower with truffles.
THE STORY
Is there a perfect looking vineyard site that produces a vine that looks like it is in perfect balance? If so, the 7 acres that make up the Orchard Block would be in the running for perfect looking vineyard. Balance is this site’s middle name, and it’s that balance that is the thread that runs through this wine each and every year. Tannins too big? Nope, just right. Too fruity? Nope, just right. Goldilocks would love this wine!
APPELLATION
100% Yamhill-Carlton AVA
BLEND COMPOSITION
100% Pinot Noir
INGREDIENTS
100% Estate Pinot Noir grapes, tartaric acid, SO2
5-5OZ SERVINGS PER CONTAINER
Calories: 124
Carbohydrates: 3.5g
CLONES
Pommard & 114
AGE OF VINES
Planted 1999-2001
BOTTLED
September 2023
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
14%
PROPER CELLAR LIFESPAN
10 -15 Years
PRODUCTION
348 Cases
FARMING PRACTICES
Grown organically (certification in progress)
VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
What started as a dry winter turned into a deluge of rain in the springtime. We had the wettest and coldest April/May/June in recorded (130 years) history. Freezing temperatures on the morning of April 14th and 15th knocked back the fragile new growth and we thought our crop yields would be down by 50-60%. In over 51 years of growing grapes here in the Dundee Hills we have never seen a freezing event during the growing season, so we had no idea what was going to happen. The primary buds froze and died, but the secondary buds came on, produced fewer but larger clusters, and the vines made a miraculous comeback. We had the 2nd warmest and driest summer on record, and then we got to October. Everything depended on good ripening conditions in the month of October since bloom was much later. Fortunately we got the warmest October in Oregon history, we were able to let the grapes hang, and the rains stayed put until all our Estate fruit was in on Thursday, October 27th. The fruit got nice and ripe, and we are thrilled with the wine produced from this vintage!
WINEMAKING
The grapes were hand-harvested on September 24th and 80%were destemmed, with 20% left as whole cluster. Fermentation took place in 3-ton stainless steel tanks. The wine aged for 16 months in 20% new French oak barrels.
WINE PROFILE
The 2022 Kalita Vineyard Crimson Clover has vanilla and floral notes on the nose. The palate has lively notes of Bing cherry and bright currants with coffee on the finish.
PAIRINGS
Pair with dishes such as roasted duck with plum sauce, mushroom risotto, or with a cheese board with brie and gouda.
THE STORY
Kalita Estate Vineyard is located in the heart of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA in the Willamette Valley. To create the Crimson Clover blend, the winemaking team selected barrels from different blocks on the vineyard site which they thought best punctuated Kalita’s style of wine. The barrels were selected in August of 2022, blended together, then returned to barrel to age another 5 months before bottling.
