< 1998 Estate Vineyard Selection Pinot Gris
COMPLETE TASTING NOTES
The 1998 vintage was optimal for Pinot Gris at Chalk Hill, as an extremely cool growing season resulted in the latest harvest date ever for this tiny vineyard block. As Pinot Gris is an early ripening variety, it is grown in one of the estate's coolest areas, a north-facing slope with fairly shallow clay-loam soil. Yields were nearly half of normal, again a result of cooler, inclement weather, which affected fruit set during the spring. These factors combined to provide extended hang time for the fruit, allowing true physiological ripening to coincide with sugar accumulation. At full maturity in late September the two Alsace clones planted at Chalk Hill, Colmar 152 and 146, were bronze in color and brimming with exotic tropical flavors.
Traditional Alsace methods were used to produce this Pinot Gris. The clusters were pressed whole, without de-stemming, to gently extract the essence of the fruit. The juice was fermented in five-year-old barrels to minimize oak influence while deriving the benefits of barrel fermentation. A combination of native and cultured yeasts was employed to promote complexity of flavors. Malolactic fermentation was discouraged, as in Alsace. The wine was aged in neutral cooperage for eleven months, with the lees stirred biweekly throughout ageing to enhance the wine's mouthfeel and structure. The final blend was assembled in September 1999 and bottled after a minimal fining.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
- Blend:
- 100% Pinot Gris
- Vineyard:
- Block K
- Appellation:
- Chalk Hill
- Ageing:
- Eleven months sur lies, Five year old French oak
- Fermentation:
- 73% Native yeasts, 100% in barrel
- Harvested:
- September 24 - 25, 1998, Brix: 25.1°, T.A. 5.0 g/l, pH 3.50
- Bottled:
- September 24, 1999, T.A. 6.2 g/l, pH 3.43
