All across the Oregon Wine Industry, critics have been raving about the exceptional 2014 harvest and how it was quite possibly the Vintage of a Lifetime! Pretty impressive accolades considering harvest occurred in mid-September and the Pinot Noir won’t be available for purchase until Spring 2016…the wait is going to be the hardest part!

Before I dive into our experience at Winter’s Hill Estate, I must disclose that I’m very much still in the “learning phase” when it comes to identifying great wine. However, my education around wine received a big step in the right direction after a 2014 Barrel Tasting at Winter’s Hill Estate. 

Yes, that’s right…the tasting was done using a glass “theif” to take wine out of the barrels for tasting purposes. We learned about the four main components of the wine which include the fruit flavor, acidity, tannins (the dry and astringent flavor), and color. Apparently tasting “fresh wine” out of the barrels can often be overwhelming to the palate.

However, as I mentioned before, 2014 was an amazing year! We were fortunate to taste four different barrels aka “futures” and the experience was something I won’t ever forget. I really enjoyed tasting the different “blocks” of wine i.e. rows of similar type grapes from a specific area on the property. It was amazing to taste the difference in flavor and complexity as the grapes came from higher and higher elevations. I also didn’t realize that their was a difference surrounding whole cluster fermentation. When you ferment the grapes with the stems, it often adds another complexity to the flavor of the wine often reminiscent of cloves and cinnamon.

With all the love and passion that goes into the wine making process, it’s easy to understand how a persons life could be defined by one exceptional harvest! Below are the tasting notes from our barrel tasting of the four blocks.

Block 1 – Showing red fruits such as raspberry, red cherry, and currant. The palate is full and creamy, with a savory finish of umami ~ 3 barrels only

Block 9 Corner – Planted to several different clones including the Dijon clones 667, 777, 113 and others. From the 2014 vintage, the wines from that section immediately stood out as exceptional. The wine is very aromatic, with lavender, lemongrass, and blood-orange scents coming through. Delicious, mouth-watering acidity leads to a full mid palate, with hits of graham pie crust on the finish ~ 2 barrels only

Block 10 Whole Cluster – The stems add a delicious layer of aromatics such as cloves, cinnamon, and cedar boughs. Blackberries and a subtle sweetness carry through the wine, with fine tannins and anise contributing to a long finish ~ 2 barrels only

Wadenswil Clone – The nose is earthy and robust, quite a contrast from our other clones. Blue fruits and plum are supported by full tannins that coat the sides of your moth. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and other baking spices linger on the finish ~ 2 barrel only

And right about now you might be asking yourself, how do I get my hands on this wine? Great question! We had a chance to purchase futures while doing our tasting over Thanksgiving, but at the time we weren’t quite ready to make that type of investment. All I can tell you for sure is that the 2014 vintage will absolutely be worth the wait!

I’ll be keeping an eye out for the Block 10 Whole Cluster and the Wadenswil Clone!