2018 Hyland Vineyard - Pinot noir

tasting notes compact red fruit, pronounced spice, medium frame, supple, elegant and poised, finishes fresh and lengthy
 
ava: McMinnville
elevation: 600 feet
soil: volcanic (jory series)
vine age: planted 1973, self-rooted
clonal selection: "Coury" selection from Alsace
farming: Dry-Farmed, Organic management
harvest: October 18, 2017
bottled: April 15, 2020
cases produced: 175
 
the Terroir Hyland vineyard is one of the WillametteValley's historic vineyards, having been planted in 1972 with a clonal selection of Pinot noir that originated in Alsace. "Coury" selection Pinot noir‒named after Charles Coury, who sourced the cuttings‒is known for elegance, spice and supple tannin structure. Importantly, Hyland is situated on the shoulder of the Van Duzer Corridor, an "air-conditioning" pathway through Oregon's Coast Range where marine air enters from the west and cools the Willamette  Valley. Persistent wind flows through this neighborhood, moderating temperatures and allowing for patient ripening and retention of fresh acidity.This Pinot noir bottling comes from Block 8B, self-rooted Coury selection planted in 1989 in Jory soil (volcanic basalt), farmed organically and without irrigation.
 
the Growing Season 2018 continued the trend of a gradually warming climate in the Willamette, although the summer was free of significant heat spikes, which spared the grapes from excessive stress. total rainfall was lower than normal, but timely rains in late-winter and early-spring charged the soil with enough moisture to carry the vines through the dry summer. Fruit set and yields were naturally low and an extended dry Autumn allowed for a reliable picking schedule of clean, beautiful fruit. The resulting wines have generosity and depth, but with tremendous textural definition, finesse and freshness. the wines offer a wonderful presentation today, but will certainly gain in complexity over many years in the cellar—2018 is a Martin Woods vintage to invest in, across our entire range!
 
notes on Winemaking picked October 15, 2017 at 22.2 brix, 3.4 pH. Fermentation in a single Macrobin (open top 1.5 ton) with 35% whole clusters/whole berries. 17 days total on skins. combination of pumpovers and punchdowns. Peak temp, 82 F. Pressed to Barrel, no settling. Aged 10 months on lees in Oregon and French oak barrels (228L). Racked carefully and bottled on September 12, 2018, Unfined & Unfiltered.
 
about Martin Woods Our winery is secluded in the wooded foothills of oregon's coast range, within the mcminnville ava. We farm and partner with distinctive, late-ripening vineyards in the willamette valley to produce principally Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gamay. We strive to find the soul of our wines in the vineyard, to produce authentic wines with a consistent sense-of-place. We find that our wines are most warmly embraced by sommeliers, chefs, wine geeks and collectors, who recognize and appreciate graceful balance, textural complexity and tension, freshness and clean aromatic lift, youthful wines with many years ahead of them.     —Evan Martin, winemaker/proprietor