Production:
117 Cases
Release Date:October 2009
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The image of making lemonade out of lemons
isn't something that immediately comes to mind when discussing winemaking. However, sometimes
it is a very accurate description of what we do. The 2007 Oregon harvest provided us with
that opportunity. As we briefly mentioned in the introduction, it did rain a good bit during the
2007 growing season. In fact, our vineyards received over 2.5 inches of rain in one week and
then, just a few days later, another 4 inches of rain fell. These are certainly far from ideal growing
conditions but thanks to diligent work by a very devoted group of growers, we were able to
harvest clean and fairly full flavored grapes. However, there was one section of the Arbre Vert
Vineyard, planted to the 115 clone, that we picked largely because we didn’t think it was going to
get any better although it didn't taste fully ripe to us.
In this situation, we decided to take a chance and make something different from the grapes. Immediately
upon arriving at the winery we put the whole clusters into the press and pressed them
very gently. The goal was to extract as much good tasting juice from the grapes without pulling
out any color. We placed this juice into one ton bins, let it settle for a day, and then drained it to a
combination of stainless steel and older oak barrels. There the wine fermented and went thru partial
malolactic fermentation. We kept it in these vessels until May when we bottled it.
So, what does this unique wine taste like? First off, it is surprisingly, remarkably good. Ryan Zepaltas,
our very talented assistant winemaker, thought this was the craziest idea we had ever possessed.
Now, the Blanc de Noir is his favorite Novy white wine. It possesses some of the midpalate
weight and richness of Chardonnay but with exceptional acidity. The nose, however, is a
bit more exotic with hints of orange and cherry fruits. Quite frankly, it smells more like Marsanne
or Rousanne but, combined with the weight and fruit flavors, it ultimately is its own uniquely
wonderful wine.
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