2019 Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir A-List

Wadenswil Clone is a 2 barrel selection of Estate grown Wadenswil 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 wide spread acclaim and notoriety.

It seems that the Wadenswil clone was not well suited to the land it was being planted to. Most of the early plantings were done on basalt based soils such as Jory. However success leaves clues, and we did discover something others may have missed.

When planning our vineyard, we were particularly intrigued with the Wadenswil clone wines we had experienced from sedimentary soil vineyards. The fragrant, intense, laser focused fruit aromas were relentless. It is no accident, but a strategic choice that we have several of our sedimentary soil vineyard blocks planted to the Wadenswil clone.

Further to the point, it seems that every year one of these Wadenswil blocks is a cellar favorite and a component of “The Reserve.”

It may seem that we go to a good deal of trouble to explain an inconsequential event, but it is not so. Wadenswil clone Pinot Noir grown on our sedimentary soils is, for us, what Pinot Noir is all about. The full range of Pinot Noir aromas and flavors along with a dizzying array of mid-palate textures and reverberating acidity define the Wadenswil clone.

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 Wadenswil clone blend represents our best expression of this pioneering clone.

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 12 months. The blend is a reflection of our soils, microclimates and stewardship of the land.