By Firesteed
2017 Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton Willamette Valley

Vintage Notes
A snowy winter gave way to a relatively cool and wet spring. Bud break in Oregon started in mid-April, resulting in the utterance of the word "normal" by winemakers around the Willamette Valley for the first time in years. A cool June pushed the bloom window to right around the summer solstice, coinciding with a warming event that led to complete flowering and excellent fruit set. In July, August, and early September, the weather was hot and dry. A mid-September cooling trend slowed ripening at the final moments, allowing for additional hang time and flavor development while keeping the wines in perfect balance until harvest began in early October.

Winemaking Notes
Our 2017 Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir continues the Firesteed tradition of a consistent, fruit-driven style, achieved through gentle cellar techniques and imagination in the vineyard. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts propagated from cellars in Burgundy, pressed during the last days of fermentation, and racked as soon as the wine finished malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged ten months in 18% new French oak barrels before being blended and bottled.

Tasting Notes
Opens with notes of blackcurrants, cherry cordial, and saddle leather, secondary and complex. On the palate, a beguiling entry with notes of rosehip and raspberry leaf gives way to sweet earth and cigar box, wrapped around fine river stone tannins. The finish is long and exotic, with notes of tropical hardwood and salal berries. Drink 2021-2028.

Wine Analysis
Varietal Composition: 100% Pinot Noir
pH: 3.45
Titratable Acidity: 5.4 g/L
Alcohol: 13.80%
[Information provided by Matador Vino]