The 2009 growing season was in a word - perfect. The weather was dry, warm with lots of sunshine. We started the season a week late in blooming, but caught up as the perfect ripening weather lasted through September. The weather was not too hot, which allowed Rieslings to retain their natural acidity and more of a mineral and lime character in our cooler sites. The “tale of two vintages” has to do with the freeze that many vineyards experienced on the night of October 10th. The good news about this event is that most of our grapes were either already picked or had already reached a good level of maturity. It was at that point where we had to get in the rest of the fruit in short order, which we did. The 2009 whites have lots of fruit forward characters and plenty of natural acid.

Wine maker notes

Riesling grapes were harvested starting on September 22th at the peak of flavor.• Fermentation temperatures were maintained at 50-55 degrees F to preserve • Riesling’s fresh and fruity character, using an assortment of yeasts for added complexity. Starting with the 2009 vintage, we feature the “Riesling Taste Profile” scale • on the back label of this bottle to help people understand that this particular Riesling is made in a “medium-dry” style

Other text

Columbia Valley vineyards lie in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains and • receive just 6-8 inches of rainfall annually. Warm, sunny days and cool evening temperatures create ideal conditions for • intense aroma and flavor development in the ripening grapes. Sandy soils with low fertility and low water-holding capacity enable precise • control of vine growth. A northerly latitude gives the Columbia Valley roughly two more hours of • sunlight daily during the peak-growing season than California, increasing the region’s ability to ripen fruit.

Food pairing

Foods fresh fruit, crab, mild cheeses, chicken Herbs chervil, coriander seeds, dill, parsley