Winter Wine Club 2024

Dear Members,

As the March Wine Club allocation arrives, it hints at the coming change of season. This harbinger of Spring reminds us that the life of a winemaker is about living in the future as much as the present. Wines from the 2023 harvest are in barrel, individual lots are being evaluated for quality and typicity, but final blends will take months to be precisely crafted and years in our care before they are released. The judgment on the 2023 vintage is terrific! It was a low-pressure, easy-going harvest compared to recent challenges…dodging fire, smoke (2020), drought, heat domes (2021), and the severe frost and protracted season of 2022.

But today, we turn our attention to the past, as we bring forward two wines we are immensely proud to present. First, the 2021 Soter Estates Chardonnay. For those familiar with our journey, you may recall that over the past two decades, our estate Chardonnay grapes were primarily reserved for sparkling wines. Yet our trajectory shifted when we purchased the rocky, southern-sloped Tarren Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills; this auspicious site came with incredible potential, and we seized the opportunity to expand our Chardonnay plantings. It was the addition of high-quality Chardonnay coupled with the maturity of our Mineral Springs Vineyard that enabled us to refine and enhance our entire Chardonnay program.

 Over the last few years, our winemaking team, led by Director of Winemaking and Winegrowing Chris Fladwood, and Associate Winemaker Jess Arnold, has been making small, yet intentional changes to how we ferment and age our Chardonnays. These wines now take even longer to reach the market than our Estate Pinot Noir; this is because of a unique technique where the barrel-fermented wines are assembled and then returned to stainless steel barrels, giving the wine an opportunity to harmonize its components before rushing to bottle. The goal is to make a wine that could be both fresh and bright, with tension and purity, yet possessing enough richness and complexity to stand the tests of time. Chardonnay requires a delicate hand in the cellar if you want to retain any sense of seasonality and place; it’s so impressionable to the whims of the maker. The 2021 Estates Chardonnay is concentrated without being heavy, lithe, and fruit-forward with incredible minerality, and a finish that teases and loiters on the palate. Flavors of Meyer lemon, quince, and apricot are commingled on the palate with a ribbon of flinty sea salt and a touch of toast. 

The 2022 Estates Pinot Noir is an example of Willamette Valley Pinot at its finest. The 2022 growing season began with a mild winter transitioning into a warm and dry March, prompting an early bud break. However, in mid-April, a damaging frost settled over the Valley, a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, which impacted emerging buds and delayed vine growth by three to four weeks. Thankfully, Pinot Noir vines have hardy and fruitful secondary buds which flourished for the remainder of the season. June brought warm weather which arrived just in time for the late but productive flowering in July. The summer continued warm and moderate, yet as fall approached, it was clear the vines needed more time to ripen the crop; we were still weeks behind! Autumn weather can be fickle in the Pacific Northwest, and there was collective relief when September brought continued warm days, with its customary cool nights, preserving grape acidity, and extending ripening time. The sunshine and dry weather persisted well into October, another rare weather pattern for our region. This 'second summer' turned out to be the key to the exceptional quality of fruit at harvest. This wine has youthful vibrancy and is bursting with primary flavors of boysenberries, black plum, and rich red cherry. It finishes with subtle tannins, a welcome assurance that it will keep developing for years to come. Surviving the anxiety of 2022 has the effect of warming our hearts with gratitude just as we hope drinking it brings pleasure to you and those around your table with whom you share.

While we’re eagerly looking to spring, winter still has its influence in the kitchen, and Chef Clayton has matched these wines with a fantastic meal of ricotta dumplings (known in Italy as ‘Gnudi’) and roasted chicken with rosemary and black truffle. A simple, yet elegant meal that will let these two wines shine on your table.

Wine Club Release Party

WINTER 2024   |   MARCH 9 & 10

Thank you so much for joining us at our Winter Wine Club Release Party! In case you missed it, be sure to check out the recipes featured at this year’s event.

MISSED THE PARTY?

Didn’t make it to the event? Discover another way to pick-up your wine…

WINE CLUB CASUAL TASTING & PICK-UP

Join us for a wine club casual tasting and pick-up your club allocation starting on Wednesday, March 6th. Make a reservation with our hospitality team directly or secure your reservation online through Tock, and we will look forward to hosting you another time soon! 

REMINDER: You must be logged into Tock using the email associated with your wine club membership to view member exclusive tasting experiences.