Pommard Clone is a 2 barrel
selection of Estate grown Pommard clone Pinot Noir.
The pioneers who began planting Pinot
Noir in the North
Willamette Valley
began primarily with 2 clones of Pinot Noir - Pommard (French, of course) and
Wadenswil (Swiss.) As the vines matured, high quality wines from both clones
were grown in the valley, but the Pommard clone was gaining widespread acclaim
and notoriety.
There is a very good reason the Pommard
clone was catching on. The Pommard clone represents all that is inherently
beautiful in Pinot Noir. It is grown on all types of soils and is unique in its
ability to reflect vineyard specific splendor, nuances and vintage conditions.
While the eyes are the window into the soul, the Pommard clone expresses the
inherent beauty of our vineyard through the lens of the vintage.
As the wine maturates in barrel, we are
continually "thieving" and evaluating each barrel. While written records are
very important, especially as we age, our mental and physical impression of
each wine drives us. As each sample is
tasted and re-tasted, we begin to better understand what each blend represents
and the promise it holds for future development.
While The Reserve is a blend of our
very favorite barrels from the vintage, the Pommard clone blend represents our
very best expression of vintage and vigneron.
As is the case with
all of our Pinot Noirs, this bottling is 100% Estate grown and hand harvested
fruit. The individual blocks were fermented with whole clusters and indigenous
yeast from the vineyard. In the cellar, we aged the individual lots in French
oak barrels for a minimum of 18 months. The blend is a reflection of our soils,
microclimates and stewardship of the land.