2022 Corrine Vineyard, Wadensvil Block Pinot Noir

97+ Points, Jeb Dunnuck

Site History: This vineyard was originally a portion of a larger vineyard known as Jacob-Hart Vineyard. This was owned and planted by Jan Jacobsen and Paul Hart, the founder and owners of Rex Hill Winery. In 1988 they began planting this vineyard off of Kings Grade Rd. After they sold Rex Hill in the early 2000s to A to Z Winery they still retained ownership of the vineyard. In the mid-2000s they began selling off the larger site as smaller, individual sections of vineyard. In 2007 John Olenik purchased the lower portion of the site. In 2009 I visited the vineyard with him in February while Patty was on a work trip. We were initially offered and took the 2.7 acre block of Wadensvil that is at the top portion of the site. I told John it looked okay and when Patty got back I would talk it over with her and get back to him. Upon returning to the winery I called her and said, “You are not going to believe the section of vineyard we just got offered!” John expanded the vineyard, nearly doubling the planted ground acreage. After the 2018 vintage, at the behest of his wife, he sold the vineyard to Cooper Mountain Winery.

Site Characteristics: Just outside of the Ribbon Ridge Appellation to the east is a contoured hillside that has a bit of a banana belt characteristic to it that separates and distinguishes it from most of the rest of the large Chehalem Mountain AVA. Olenik Vineyard sits nearly smack dab in the middle of this south facing hillside. The vineyard sits on the same type of thin marine soil as our Estate Vineyard. The west-facing and relatively exposed vineyard lies below Lia’s Vineyard and near sites such as Adams and J. Christopher Estate. The vineyard cascades down the hillside but has undulating folds to it that creates contour and gives unique characteristics to small sections within the 25-acre site. The initial block we received fruit from was 100% Wadensvil clone planted in 1991. We also receive a block toward the bottom of the vineyard known to us as The Anklebreaker Block, which is a 2007 planting of Pommard in a uniquely rocky section of the vineyard. The entire vineyard is incredibly diverse in terms of aspect, elevation and soil type with the amount of ancient flood and landslide deposited rock. This vineyard while just outside of Ribbon Ridge to the east sits in a little bit of a banana-belt that gets decidedly warmer and more consistently still than our Estate site just a few miles to the west. This site has a stillness and quietness to it that are quite enjoyable and palpable and it seems to resonate in the wines as they tend toward full, solid, dense wines that are more thought provoking than provocative.

The Block: Corrine Vineyard sits nearly smack dab in the middle of this south facing hillside. This block exists in a rolling saddle that undulates to the south on a sometimes lightly-pitched slope and sometime steeply-pitched slope. This block has consistently produced some of the most elegant yet intense wines we have bottled since we began producing it back in 2009. The vineyard sits on the same type of thin marine soil as our Estate Vineyard. Wadensvil Clone is especially perfect for this type of soil. The natures of the sedimentary soil and the Wadensvil clone are nearly a perfect intersection for Pinot Noir in Oregon. Wadensvil tends toward more elegant, high-toned and red-fruited wines while the sedimentary soil adds an element of structure and turns the wine distinctly toward a very mineral-driven mid-palate and finish.

This vineyard was significantly impacted by the April frosts with resulting tonnages well off of historical norms. Recovery was largely based upon secondary buds coming out in May and allowing for a successful harvest.

Farming Practices: Corrine Vineyard was purchased by Cooper Mountain Vineyard in 2019. They have aggressively moved from sustainable farming to biodynamic principles with a stop in between of normal organic level farming which is where we are at right now. All Patricia Green Cellars sites are dry farmed.

Picking Dates, Tonnages, Tons/Acre: October 9th; 3.61 tons (1.34 tons/acre).

Vinification: Both 1.75 ton fermenters from this block were completely destemmed marking only the third time in the history of this bottling that 100% destemming has occurred. All Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noirs in 2021 were fermented with their native yeasts unless otherwise noted.

Winemaking: Fermentations were managed exclusively by pumpovers in during cold soak and by pigeages to ensure gentle handling and delicate extractions during the actual fermentations. Cold soaks were generally 3-4 days. Full fermentation from beginning to pressing was 16-17 days. 24-48 hour settling prior to being racked to barrel. All wines on full lees until assemblage for bottling. Bottled without fining or filtration.

Barrels: This 14-barrel bottling consists of 3 new barrels (21%), 2 Cadus and one Tonnellerie Sud Ouest, and half a dozen 1 or 2x used barrels. The rest of the barrels were completely neutral.

Notes: The 3 most consistent wines in our broadly ranging cellar might be Balcombe Block 1B, Estate Old Vine and Corrine (Olenik) Wadensvil Block. Each bottling has a distinct aromatic tone and textural quality to it year in and year out. The Corrine Wadensvil combines high-pitched red fruits and red floral qualities with a crystalline minerality. Some years there are slightly more tannins, some years less but the texture and mouthfeel are always a complex balance of both rich and delicate.

This finished with a TA of 5.7, a pH of 3.54 and was bottled with under 30 ppm free SO2 and less than 75 ppm total SO2.

Tasting Notes: Please be aware that I am loathe to write tasting notes on our wines. Each person has an individual palate and therefore unique experiences with every wine. Also, what a person has tasted in their life and what they enjoy informs them on what a wine is like. If I tell you a wine tastes like cherries and you either have never had a cherry or don’t like cherries what I am saying is irrelevant information. That being said I have been asked to include my thoughts on each wine (since we have so many).

The 2022 Corrine Vineyard, Wadensvil Block Pinot Noir has its classic nose of piercing high-pitched red fruit interlaced with the powdery minerality that older self-rooted vines in marine soils in the inner Chehalem Mountain and Ribbon Ridge AVAs possess. As with many of our 2022s this wine possesses both excellent acidity that brightens and provides structure as well as, in a countering nature, soft and lush fruit that glides easily over the top of the infrastructure. A beautiful combination of raspberries, spring strawberries, cranberries and currants mixes with sweet baking spices, river rock and salted red plum giving the wine loads of sweetness and freshness. Subtle but firm tannins from old vines finish nicely on the back giving definition and length to this beautiful 13th bottling of this block.