Our Wines
Our winemaking philosophy is that we are constantly trying to improve our understanding of what makes great wine. We try to be humble — in the extent of our knowledge and our skills — and we do our best to get out of the way and let the grapes make the best possible wine.
2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
- pH (at bottling): 3.72
- TA: .56 g/100mL
- Alcohol: 13.3%
- Harvest Dates: 9/29/07 – 10/12/07
- Harvest Brix: 23-24
- Clones: 115, 667, 777, Pommard
- 65 cases produced
Our inaugural wine, the 2007 vintage represented a challenge for vintners of all skill levels. Coming off the higher alcohols and very ripe fruit of 2006, the 2007 harvest was a return to classic Pinot Noir. 2007’s cooler weather (and, yes, rain) delivered fruit with acidity and lower sugars. The result: a wine with structure and aging potential yet is approachable in its youth.
The 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a food friendly, open wine with layers of fruit and subtle oak and spice hints on the finish. Can be enjoyed now, but should improve with some additional bottle aging.
2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
- pH (at bottling): 3.76
- TA: .57 g/100mL
- Alcohol: 12.9%
- Harvest Dates: 10/13/08 – 10/19/08
- Harvest Brix:22-23.5
- Clones: 115, 667, 777, 114, Pommard, Colmar
- 196 cases produced
As has been noted, the 2008 harvest was a rarity-a later, cool harvest that didn’t see the rainfall that often comes with October in Oregon. The extended, but cool hang time resulted in grapes that achieved excellent maturity while maintaining acidity and keeping sugar levels low.
Our 2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir was harvested over a period of 7 days in mid- October. A cold soak of at least six days was achieved for all lots. Fermentations occurred in 1 ton lot sizes over a period of 7-10 days following inoculation.
The wine was barrel aged for a period of 13 months in French Oak, 33% of it new. The final blend is a combination of six different Pinot Noir clones, all sourced from Dion Vineyard. The vines of these blocks were between 8 to 20 years in age.
To Order Our Wines:
Dion Vineyard has partnered with Northwest Wines to You in Carlton, OR for our direct to consumer wine shipping. Please note that when purchasing wine all transactions will show as Northwest Wines to You.