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High hopes for the '06 vintage |
Warm weather in the summer and fall creates a 'lush'
grape harvest |
By David Sale, Newberg Graphic
reporter
E-mail David at
dsale@eaglenewspapers.com
|
Higher-than-average temperatures in recent months have provided a
plentiful grape harvest, according to local growers.
“It’s the kind of vintage I love to have — no drama,” said Rollin
Soles of Argyle Winery. “The early rain kinda scared us — I had
memories of last year’s cool fall — but it has turned into a good
Indian Summer.”
David
Adelsheim of Adelsheim Vineyards said he harvested about 700 tons of
grapes this year, an increase but not a record.
“I’d planned to grow a lot after two short vintages,” he said. “We
also made new plantings, and contracts to purchase more grapes.”
Most wineries completed the harvest two weeks ago, and have moved
on to pressing the grapes, giving winemakers a first taste of how
their 2006 pinot noir vintages will develop.
“It’s been a whirlwind year — we finished picking a day earlier
than we started picking last year,” said Jason Lett of Eyrie
Vineyards. “The grapes tended to ripen faster and have higher sugar
levels, so we can expect to see wines that are more lushly
structured, the kind of pinot that most people love.”
“I’ve been pretty impressed with what I’m seeing” Adelsheim said.
“This will be a good year, but I won’t know if it’s a great vintage
for a while — it has to age in the barrel a bit before you can
accurately assess its quality”.
“The 80-degree days put some water stress on the vines,” Soles
said. “It could have been a problem if it lasted longer, but we’ve
already pressed a whole bunch of the grapes and they’ve been a very
bright, juicy crop.”
Adelsheim was more critical. “Just because it was warm and dry
doesn’t mean all problems have been eliminated,” he said. “Hot
weather can be too much of good thing in terms of the amount of
sugar in the grapes. That dictates the alcohol content, and like the
2003 vintage, it could potentially be slightly off balance, a bit
stronger than ideal.”
“The wineries that go for big, attention-getting vintages will have
a big year,” Lett said. “I prefer a vintage that’s more lean, so it
ages better. 2004 and 2005 were cellaring years, but the 2006
vintage is one to drink as soon as it’s mature. I think it’s going
to bring a lot of attention to Oregon in the industry press.” |
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From
Oct. 28,
2006, Newberg Graphic
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