THE VINEYARDS

Following a warm summer, the touch-and-go harvest began September 27 amidst untimely fall rains that threatened to derail our expectations. Keeping an eye on the weather, we harvested the mature fruit between rain showers while leaving the fruit needing more development time to mature on the vine. Harvest concluded October 14. In the end, the cool and challenging harvest season produced fruit in the classic Oregon style that first focused world attention on Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

WINEMAKING

The grapes arrived at the winery in the early morning for gentle destemming. The cool receiving temperatures allowed us to forego a pre-fermentation cold soak and move immediately to fermentation by inoculating with pure strain yeast cultures. Fermentation on the cool side to maximize fruit and floral characters lasted about two weeks. Selected tanks underwent a post-fermentation extended maceration to balance the tannin with the other components of the wines.
The wines were then aged in the usual fashion for 10 months prior to blending in a mixture of new and older barrels. Blending trials allowed us to cherry pick the wine lots that would create a memorable 2007 Winemaker’s Barrel.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES

Each year, Van Duzer blends a single barrel of Estate Pinot Noir that represents the epitome of the vintage. The 2007 Winemaker’s Barrel teases the senses with aromas of pomegranate and cherry, followed by tamarind, white pepper, crushed amber and orange zest that ramble over the red fruit notes, imparting an exotic spice market character. Just-ripe cherry and fresh-turned earth meld with the sweet oak to round out the fascinating aromas.
In the mouth, pomegranate and cherry sweetness meet at mid-palate. Sweet oak, rose hips and cola hints intertwine with the cherry flavor, followed by impressions of brambly raspberry in an unbelievably long finish that is carried along by the firm acid backbone and rich, well-integrated tannins. Lay aside this limited production statement of the 2007 vintage for long-term aging or decant to enjoy immediately.

100% Van Duzer Estate
100% Pinot Noir
25% Clone 828 25% Clone 667-Westside
25% Mariafeld 25% Wädenswil-Block 13
ALCOHOL: 13.1%
TA: 0.60 g/100ml pH: 3.48
RS: 0.02%/Dry Cases: 25