2019, A Treasured Vintage
From John, November 10th, 2021Every so often a vintage comes along which exceeds in quality everything around it. Often it doesn’t overtly show itself but only waits until the wines slowly mature in the cellar. There are often no clear indicators, no flashing lights, no obvious charms. But once it starts to reveal itself, there is no doubt of its authenticity. 2019 is such a vintage.
The summer had its heat spells but was generally fairly benign. The fall arrived with cool temperatures and intermittent rainy weather, which slowed down the process of harvest. And that was likely the hidden gift. When the fruit is able to hang longer without losing acidity or taking on excessive sugar, that is a gift from above. And such an event is woefully very rare. At the time, I remember being far more worried about the wet fruit and muddy conditions in the vineyard than I was cognizant that this could be something truly special.
But special it is and these wines are not to be missed. Virtually every producer has something nice to sell. When you factor in the age of our vines from both Abbey Ridge (45 years) and Clos Electrique (37 years), the resultant wines become magic.
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The Incredibly Intense Wines from 2021
Most of us in the Oregon Wine Industry remember the summer of 2021 by one seemingly catastrophic event in June: the “Heat Dome”. But strangely enough, its timing set us up for an epic vintage!
There’s More... >The Challenging 2022 Vintage
Because of a freakish snowstorm coupled with freezing fog in mid-April, Clos Electrique and Abbey Ridge Vineyards lost a substantial amount of their 2022 crop. Please read on to hear how we handled this challenging and unique vintage.
There’s More... >The Big Freeze
April 2022 donned as a typical classic Oregon spring with lots of wet weather and moderate temperatures pushing the buds on the vines to expand and open. And then out of nowhere came a blast of frigid Arctic air in mid-April that settled on us for several days plunging the temperature into the mid-20’s. When it was done, about 70% of the crop in Clos Electrique were almost completely wiped out.
There’s More... >