Sokol Blosser Pinot Gris

The 2005 vintage gave us a little bit of everything, and made it a fairly challenging year. A wet spring caused poor conditions during flowering. We had a few days of very hot weather in May, and hail in June. Then it dried up. From July 12 to September 29 we had only 0.25 of rain. We began harvest with some Pinot Noir on September 21 and continued at a relatively slow pace until a torrential downpour hit us on September 30. We had 1.6 of rain in just that one day! We completed the harvest over the next two weeks during cold, overcast days with strong winds and occasional rains.

All of this resulted in a very light crop only about half the tonnage we had been expecting. And because there was some shriveling of the grapes from the long, dry summer, our stalwart crush crew also sorted ruthlessly, further reducing the already small harvest but ensuring that only sound, ripe fruit made it into the press or the destemmer. So, despite the difficult conditions, we were able to make some very nice wines, although in very small volumes.

Although still young, this wine is already beginning to show the earth and truffle flavors and aromas that are the hallmarks of our wines. There is balance and elegance, plus good concentration and length. The toast and mocha of the barrels is integrating well with the primary cherry and berry fruit characteristics, and the tannins are soft and smooth. Properly cellared, this is a wine that should easily last up to ten years and could continue to age and develop well beyond that. Food pairings:
Duck Breast with a Raspberry Balsamic Sauce, Goat Cheese Fondue or Thanksgiving dinner.

Region Description

The Dundee Hills AVA is Oregon¹s first micro AVA as of one year ago and is over 80% \"Jory\" soil-type. This special volcanic soil has excellent minerality and drainage. Also, the Dundee Hills benefits from being drier and warmer than many pockets that surround it. All of these factors together combine to showcase unique characteristics found in the best Pinot noirs from this region. Our wines tend to be very focused with great clarity and complexity. Some of the descriptors are bright red fruits, exotic spices, and a gorgeous minerality in the structure.