2006 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir

Memorial Day is a time to honor those who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country and sadly we continue to lose young men and women to war each day. And, on this Memorial Day, many of you no doubt have plans to visit a cemetery where loved ones have been put to their final rest.  However, switching gears, I want to assure you that the pictures you see here are not from any burial place you may be visiting (although it may be from a financial point of view), but instead can be found at the newly expanded Carlton Hill Vineyard.

Countless times I have heard the expression "Owning a vineyard is a great way to make a large fortune into a small one.” Truer words have never been said and yet here we are, brother Dan and myself, in spring of 2008 planting another five acres of vines. Well, lets be clear about this: you talked us into this! If Carlton Hill Pinot Noirs had simply been good, every day wines, I would have been content to farm our original six acres. But, noooo!!! The response received from nearly every person who has purchased our wines compelled the planting of the remaining eastern slopes of our vineyard site. And, while it might sound like an old cliche, when it comes to the making of great wine, it's all about the grapes and the dirt they are planted in.  So, here we go again.  This time we elected to plant what is historically the very most tried and true Pinot Noir clones here in Oregon, namely Pommard and Wadensville. This planting, when combined with the existing 777 and 115 Dijon clones, should contribute additional nuance and complexity to future Carlton Hill vintages. But I am getting ahead of myself. We still have three years of work ahead of us.

As for the here and now, on Monday, May 26, we will celebrate our third Memorial Day tasting in the Barn and it promises to be a good one. It will mark the official release of the 2006 Carlton Hill Estate Reserve Pinot Noir as well as the opportunity to join Club Reserve, the details for which will soon be appearing on our web site. Also attached here are my tasting notes for the 2006 Reserve. The 2006 vintage was, simply put, a thing of beauty and the Estate Reserve is a worthy reflection of this outstanding year. But this is not all we celebrate. New to the venue shall be my neighbors, friends and owners of the infamous Resonance Vineyard, Kevin and Carla Chambers. Formerly known as Reed & Reynolds, the Chamber's vineyard is one of the oldest and most prestigious vineyards in the Yamhill Carlton Appellation or in the state of Oregon for that matter. They will be pouring the 2006 Resonance Pinot Noir as well as the 2007 "G Cubed" which is a dry style Gewurtztraminer grown on their property.  You will also be treated to the wines of the Roots Winery Company. Winemaker Chris Berg will be introducing his new labels Black Light Red and Black Light Merlot. In addition, Chris will be pouring a few single vineyard Pinot Noirs he has stashed away and, depending up on his bottling schedule, a Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc may be making an appearance as well.

Last, but certainly not least, my dear friend and confidant Karo Thom will, once again, be preparing for us a variety of wonders from her kitchen. She continues to show pity on me by showing up for this hoedown and all I can say is it is better to be lucky than good. All I ask is that we behave like adults and not fight over the food that is provided to us.

The festivities will run from 11:00 AM to 4:00PM. There is a $10.00 tasting fee and, unless the turnout is ridiculous, a Carlton Hill Vineyard wine glass will be yours for the keeping. If you can't make it out to the farm on Monday, I will be pouring my wines at Walnut City Wineworks in McMinnville on Saturday, May 24th, between 11:30 AM and 5:00PM. Also, for those of you who previously placed an order with me for the '06 Reserve, please contact me as soon as possible at 503-852-7060. I will have the wine available for you upon your arrival or I can make arrangements for shipping. Hope to see you all soon.

Most Sincerely,
David Polite

Please contact us at Carltonhillvine@aol.com or visit us at www.carltonhillwines.com