Ending the blogger's block

Trying to overcome the internal editor of the mind and just start writing again is always difficult.  Especially today when so many others are writing, it's hard to get passed the "someone else is probably already writing about this" blockage.  So folks, stick with me as I try to get back on the Vintage 2011 documentation horse.

OK, so how has 2011 been in Oregon so far?  Well, it's been wet and cold. Even with summer weather finally arriving this week, we're running ~ 4 weeks behind normal, and even 7-10 days behind 2010.  That's a little scary, since we didn't start harvesting Pinot Noir until Oct 20th last year.  But, it's early days here in the Willamette Valley, and we can catch up. 

Also, if I look at the other recent vintages that ran late into October (e.g., 2008, 2010), I'll take the extra stress about weather if I can get the beautiful flavors and aromatics that we get during the slow, cool years. Although it's overstated, Pinot Noir really is a cool weather varietal.  The nuance and transparent beauty we get here in Oregon during the stressful vintages cannot be beat.

More on vineyards and progress to come soon.  Also, we're hosting a mini-vertical tasting at the winery this weekend. I'll try to post tasting notes ASAP.