J.C. Somers Vintner 2019 Wadenswil Pinot Noir, Bella Vida Vineyard, Dundee Hills

J.C. Somers Vintner 2019 Wadenswil Pinot Noir, Bella Vida Vineyard, Dundee Hills

Item Number: 18257

UPC: None

Country: USA
Region: Oregon
Sub Region: Willamette Valley
Appellation/AVA: Dundee Hills
Estate Grown Wine: No
Vineyard Designation: Bella Vida Vineyard
Vintage: 2019
Grape(s): 100% Pinot Noir
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 13
Soil Type: Red Jory clay (volcanic)

Winemaker Notes: "Bella Vida Vineyard is an exceptional vineyard site in the Dundee Hills. Owned and meticulously farmed by Steve Whiteside, it is one of my favorite sites to work with. I started making wines from this vineyard in 2001 when the vines were still very young, and, over the years, it has steadily matured to become a powerful expression of the Dundee Hill AVA. The vineyard is dry farmed." - Jay Somers

Clones: 100% Wadenswil; single clone wines give a unique, linear expression.
Aging: 18 months in barrel, 25% new
Malolactic Fermentation: Spontaneous
Fining: No
Filtering: No

About Wadenswil: Wadenswil was selected by the Swiss Federal Research Center in the town of Wadenswil in 1950 due to its excellent cool climate ripening and hearty disease resistance. As with all Pinot clones, the original source of the Wadenswil clone was Burgundy, brought to Switzerland in the 17th century. Dr. Harold Olmo gave the clone to the University of Davis, and when the American wine renaissance began in the early 1960s, there was only one non-virused, university-certified clone of Pinot Noir available: the Wadenswil clone. Oregon Pioneer David Lett of Eyrie brought the clone with him when he came to Oregon in January 1965. It was the first Pinot clone planted. It has, with time, also proven to be one of the best. Though rarely used in either California or France, Wadenswil is one of the foundations of Oregon Pinot Noir.

Reviews

  • Paul Gregutt's Northwest Wine Guide
    Rating: 92 (1/12/2024)

    Single clone wines, Jay Somers notes, give a ‘linear expression.’ I take it to mean that they are more tight, more vertical, though less complete in some ways than multi-clone Pinots. Many Oregon winemakers focus on single clone Pinots, and when tasting through a selection of them from a single vineyard and vintage they can be very instructive. This is brambly with raspberry fruit, a touch of tomato leaf and peppery/minty grace notes.