BELLE PENTE

Vineyard & Winery

New Releases!

Our early spring (actually belated late fall!) line-up includes 4 terrific new wines from the 2008 and 2009 vintages.  We are culminating our releases of 2008 wines with a stunning Estate Chardonnay.  From 2009, we have our first ever varietal bottling of Gamay Noir, along with our two single vineyard Pinots from Murto and our Belle Pente Estate Vineyards.

2008 Belle Pente Vineyard Chardonnay

Our Chardonnay comes from a little 2 acre parcel planted in 1999 (our daughter Riona's birth year).  It is planted on the steep southwest facing slope that greets visitors as they come up the driveway, with rows running up & down the hill  from north-east to south-west.  In planting on a westward exposure, we defied the conventional  wisdom at the time, which was that Chardonnay should be grown on an east facing slope, presumably because many of the Chardonnay  vineyards in the Cote d'Beaune have that aspect.  But a closer look the maps of Burgundy show that much of Corton Charlemagne (one of the greatest Chardonnay vineyards on the planet) actually slopes  off to the west ... so we decided to give it a shot.

The fruit  coming off this little parcel has been impressive since 2004 (the first  year of full production), but 2008 marked a real watershed year for the  wines made from it.  With 10 years of age, the vines are out of their  whacky adolescence and beginning to behave like refined, cultured,  spirited young adults.  We've fine-tuned our vineyard practices to get  the most out of the row orientation to optimize sun exposure on the  fruit (removing all lateral shoots in the fruit zone, and about half the leaves on the north-west side of the row).  And we've developed a  winemaking protocol that appears to be expressing the best attributes of the site.

We pick the Chardonnay on two days, taking the first half  at the very beginning of the harvest cycle for freshness and acidity,  and the other half towards the end (usually 10 days to 2 weeks later)  for more evolved fruit flavors and aromas.  The grapes are crushed and  pressed, and the juice is settled for 48 hours, with no sulfites added.  The juice is then barrel fermented, half in Oregon oak and half in  French oak, with only about 15% new barrels in the mix.  Elevage is over 9 months with frequent lees stirring, and the wine is assembled,  filtered, and bottled right before the next harvest.

Upon tasting the wine several months ago (for the first time since bottling in the fall of 2009), it was clear we had really hit a "sweet spot".  The long  2008 growing season allowed us to capture a wine with great old-world  freshness and acidity, complimented by new-worldly ripe flavors  reminiscent of tropical fruits.  The oak provides an exotic accent, but allows the fruit/site to speak clearly.  The wine has concentrated flavor authority, but is also light on it's feet.

This is without question our finest Chardonnay to date.  It has vindicated our unconventional planting decision, and is providing convincing proof that given the right site and careful work in the vineyard, Oregon can produce Chardonnay at the same world-class level as our Pinot Noirs.

 272 cases produced                            $30/bottle   

A few words about the 2009 vintage:

Two thousand nine was the year that created a pattern of vintages marked  by warm growing seasons every three years.  The wines from 2003, 2006, and 2009 all have strong similarities in terms of the character of the fruit.  Whereas Willamette Valley Pinots are most often typified by their fresh fruit character, in warmer vintages the wines tend to have more of a dried fruit or "processed" (more like strawberry jam rather that a fresh strawberry) fruit character.

The Willamette Valley has a strong marine influence.  During the summer, daytime temperatures will reach into the 80s, but nighttime temperatures dip into the high 50s.  Humidity can be 40% during the day, but soar to 95% during the early morning hours.  But in warm years, we often get periods when the prevailing winds reverse, and the hot dry continental high desert conditions of the inter-mountain west swoop down through the Columbia Reiver Gorge and invade the Willamette Valley.

During the 2009 growing season, this phenomena occured three times, the last being in mid September as the grapes were finishing their ripening.  The hot, dry winds literally started sucking the moisture out of the grapes and began turing them into raisins!  Fortunately, the raisining process did not go too far before the Walla Walla winds retreated, but they left their signature mark on the vintage:  concentrated flavors and aromas and relatively high alcohol levels. 

However, the wines also have firm, smooth tannins that provide enough structure to endow a vibrancy and balance to the wines.  They are very expressive aromatically, and quite accessible now.  It is a vintage that does not require contemplation or patience ...  enjoy these wines while they're young!

2009 Murto Vineyard Pinot Noir

Warmer years are always kind to higher elevation sites like Murto Vineyard.  The old vines, planted in 1978, are also quite resilient and able to handle weather-induced stress; they barely flinched during the heat spikes of 2009!  We have made a vineyard designated wine from Mike and Robin Murto's Dundee Hills vineyard ever since our inaugural vintage in 1996.  So for many of our longtime customers, Belle Pente and Murto are almost synonymous.

This 2009 version is very expressive, with dried cherry and strawberry/ raspberry jam aromas that jump out of the glass, accented with the characteristic Murto spices:  cinnamon, nutmeg, Asian 5-spice, sandalwood, white and black pepper.  The red fruit carries over on to the medium-bodied palate, balanced with fresh acidity and ripe tannins. Complex, spicy, & earthy, it is a terrific rendering of the vintage and a textbook 2009 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir!

Although this wine certainly has sufficient structure for at least several years in the cellar, it has a youthful exuberance that cries out "drink me now!"  Resistance is futile...

588 cases produced                          $35/bottle     

2009 Belle Pente Vineyard Pinot Noir

This marks the 8th vintage of this "flagship" Pinot from our Belle Pente Estate vineyard.  It is assembled primarily from lots that originate on the east side of our vineyard.  These blocks get good morning sun, but are sheltered from the more intense late afternoon heat.  Planted primarily to the Pommard and 115 selections in relatively deep soil at over 1800 vines per acre, these blocks yield wines that are structured yet approachable in their youth.  It is a "junior" version of our Estate Reserve intended for earlier enjoyment.

Aromatically intense, this wine smells like summer!  A herb garden potpourri of lavender, thyme, rosemary, and anise weaves with scents of violets and rose petals.  The fruit is reminiscent of ripe blueberries with a hint of brambly black raspberry.  The texture is smooth and sappy, with silky tannins and balancing acidity.  Hints of roast coffee and chocolate linger in the background.

This wine is an absolute delight today, but should also respond well to a few years in the cellar.

 638 cases produced                              $35/bottle     

2009 Willamette Valley Gamay Noir (Estate Bottled)

This is our first release of a 100% Gamay Noir wine!  Although we've had a few rows of this Beaujolais native planted in our estate vineyard since 1994, the wine has usually found it's way into our Cuvee Contraire (rose-style blend).  But in 2009, one barrel was sufficiently interesting to merit it's own bottling, so here it is!

On first impression, this wine might remind you more of a "little wine" from Piemonte (like a Barbera) than a classic Cru Beaujolais.  The fruit is primary, and although there is some tannin, there is not any real structure.  With air, the grapey, spicy, peppery aromatics of Gamay emerge, and the palate softens.  It is an intriguing, non-Pinot experience!

This wine is very limited, so we ask that you respect the 3 bottle limit so that we can spread it around a bit.

25 cases produced                              $25/bottle     

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