Cameron Winery -- sustainably farmed, non-irrigated, Oregon pinot noir and chardonnay

After a brilliant growing season with moderate temperatures, our 2023 wine is fermenting happily in barrels, amphorae and stainless steel tanks!

For Pinot noir and Chardonnay, we know that it’s 100 days from mid-flowering to harvest. This year, bloom occurred in mid-June which, if you count 100 days, set us up for a late September-early October harvest.  The dry summer was only an issue when we got what is now a typical August heat wave.  This caused a bit of dehydration (raisining) in the fruit. Fortunately those berries were dried up by the time we brought in the crop, so they clung to the stems and did not enter the fermenters.

The white fruit from 2023 (Chardonnay, Pinot gris, Pinot blanc and Friulano) had spectacular flavors which we believe will translate into magnificent wines. The Pinot noir, though beautifully ripe, had relatively high sugar levels, which we think will produce somewhat hotter wines than we’ve experienced in recent vintages. Our Nebbiolo, which we always pick last, endured some significant late rain in October and suffered as a consequence.  It was still perfectly ripe at harvest but took some special handling to sort out the botrytis.

We always crop our fruit in late summer to approximately 2.5 tons per acre try to ensure an optimal ripeness.  Because all varieties experienced a perfect set this year, our overall yields were spot-on across the board.  After three years of small crops due to everything imaginable (fires in 2020, a heat dome in 2021 and a late freeze in 2022), this was a welcome bounty.

So our cellar is filled to capacity with what we feel will be a great vintage.  We’re ready to relax for a minute!