2021 Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard
Appellation
Mt Pisgah
In Stock
Vineyard Notes
Freedom Hill Vineyard is located in the foothills of the Coast Range, 10 miles SW of Salem, Oregon. During the day warm air rises from the valley floor ripening the skins. At night, cool ocean breezes act to retain acidity. Planted on old sedimentary soils, the vines have a SW exposure at an elevation of 520’ to 580’. Our Pinot noir comes from two blocks, one planted in 2004 with Pommard and Wädenswil and one planted in 2008 with 777.
Production Notes
Release Date: Mar 2025; Production 1076 cases. The de-stemmed grapes were fermented in 4-8 ton stainless steel and Burgundy oak fermenters with no SO2, allowing the fermentations to process naturally. After gentle pressing and settling, the wine aged in French oak barrels, 24% of which were new, for 16 months before bottling by gravity and without fining.
Food Pairing Notes
Richly flavored entrees like hearty pasta dishes, steak, chops and chocolate match well with this dark-red fruited, earthy nuanced and solidly structured Pinot Noir.
Winemaker Notes
Vintage Notes: 2021 began with a warm spring and a relatively early bloom, which was complete by the second week of June. A massive heat spell around June 27th head temperatures reaching up to 113 degrees. This significantly stunted growth in younger plants limiting their ability to ripen a normal crop. The younger vines at our estate essentially stopped growing as well as the Riesling at Temperance Hill. The summer continued with a heat spell in late June and mid-July. Because of these high temperatures, mildew was not a significant problem in 2021. We began picking Chardonnay on 9/13 and the first Pinot noir on 9/15. A slight rain event on September 18th and 19th brought much-needed moisture to the vines. By the 24th, all of the Chardonnay and most of the Pinot noir were picked. We finished picking in the first week of October, with the exception of the Riesling, which came in on 10/14. In the end, we were happy with the fruit and very thankful that there were no fires to complicate the harvest.
Drink
Up to 12 years