Author Archive

An 18-year vertical of Abbey Ridge Pinot noir…..

Since our early days, each year we have put aside a small number of Abbey Ridge bottles and stored in them in our underground cave with the purpose of tasting them at a later date. This January we excavated 18 magnums of Abbey Ridge Pinot noir spanning the years 1993 to 2010. On June 5th the wines were unveiled to a small gathering of wine experts. Please read on to see my tasting notes from this remarkable event.

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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.

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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.

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We’ve teamed up with Energy Trust!

This spring, we received an email offering us a free energy study through Energy Trust’s Production Efficiency program. Thanks to Energy trust, we now have a new heating and cooling system that is saving energy, pruning our utility bills and keeping our warehouse cool! Please read Energy Trust’s blog (on the following page) to hear the whole story.

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Our strategy for producing beautiful 2020 wines

In early September of 2020 the Willamette Valley and surrounding environment were hit with extremely warm and windy conditions along with lightening strikes fueling the largest set of forest fires in the state’s history. And yet in spite of the smoke, all of our wines from 2020 are beautiful.

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Regenerative Agriculture at Cameron

At Cameron Winery, we are addressing climate change by incorporating regenerative agriculture techniques into our farming practices.

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Innovation and Inspiration from California

The secret of great Burgundies is the amazing diversity of characteristics, carefully selected by many generations of French winemakers. Over the years, this treasure trove of diversity was brought to California by visionaries such as Paul Masson and Ernest Wente. In 1979, I began my winemaking career at Carneros Creek Winery in the Napa Valley. Here I was introduced to the great wines of Burgundy as well as a 1/2 acre plot of Pinot noir clones from many of the best known Pinot noir vineyards in California. Realizing the amazing bequest that was sitting in front me, I intended then and there to make this a pursuit of my lifetime.

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2019, A Treasured Vintage

Every so often a vintage comes along which is so special that it is not to be missed. 2019 was one of those years!

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Silent Fall

One of our fall rituals has traditionally been battling songbirds, who arrive in the vineyard en masse in October to feast on our newly ripened grapes. But climate change and catastrophes in our environment have started to take their toll on our feathered friends.  This year there was no need for bird deterrents, large migrations of robins and cedar waxwings over our vineyard seem to have disappeared.

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Introducing Cidre 2020

We thought 2020 would be an excellent year to embark on a new fermentation endeavor: making traditional cider from Alan Foster’s legendary White Oak cider orchard. The result is a dry cider with a round fruity body that dances on your tongue with apple tannins and a liesy finish and a nose filled with aromas of apple blossom and roses! 

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