Digging it: Last Tank 07

Last Wednesday was momentous.  It marked the final day of pressing, and therefore an unofficial end for the harvest of 2007.  It was also a window to the past.  Five weeks ago we harvested the last of our pinot noir, from the Zena vineyard in the Eola Hills.  The fruit came in impeccably, and I opted for a large proportion of whole cluster fruit in the fermenter and a “native” fermentation.  Five weeks later we have what I consider to be the finest wine we have produced this year.  An incredibly complex wine with bountiful layers of silky tannins matched with wild game notes has emerged from the press: a perfect end to a tough vintage.  While most winemakers I have spoken with about our extended time on skins this year have shaken their heads incredulously, I have found that our patience has led to extraordinarily deep, graceful wines.  Although it is now December and we are just putting the last of our pinot noir to bed, I am happy.  Maybe not as happy as if I was on a beach somewhere in the sun, but never-the-less happy.  However, this post is not an epitaph for my first vintage at Anne Amie as these wines still have a long way to go before they are in the bottle and, despite how pleased I am about the wines we have crafted this year, I have already started formulating plans for 2008.  We'll keep you updated on the progress of these wines and our plans for the future.

Thomas

Pictured above: Todd "digs out" the last tank of 2007 pinot noir into the press.