Our Wines: New & Current Releases, Vintage Notes
(2006-1999)
Due to some extreme temperatures across the country, we strongly advise all shipping orders to go Fedex 2nd day air to avoid damage to your order. If you choose not to ship 2nd day, we will ship during weather permitting times. This could mean that your shipment will be postponed for a month or longer until temperatures warm back up. Please include any special instructions for your order under the “Additional Comments” section of the checkout page.
New & Current Releases
The 2006 Wines are being released!
Tasting Notes for 2006 Pinot Noirs:
The 2006 growing season was for the most part warm and long. Hot temperatures at the end of September and into October created spikes of sugars which meant that fruit was harvested extremely ripe, much like 2003. Unlike 2003, the fruit was physiologically ripe and seed and skin tannins (as well as stems) were ripe and balanced.
Sunburn in certain vineyards meant that we had to spend more time in vineyards removing green and burnt berries by hand. This operation was extremely delicate and costly, where all 12 of Bergstrom’s crew members were in the vineyards with tweezers and needle-nose scissors removing individual green berries from otherwise ripe clusters.
2006 also saw the largest crop we have experienced in Oregon for a very long time. Natural yields were enormous and we had to pass through our vineyard rows several times to eradicate excess crop. One cluster per viable shoot in our vineyards usually measures out to be around 1.5 tons per acre…. In 2006 one cluster per viable shoot was close to 4 tons to the acre due to the size and weight of the clusters!!!
The result is an abundance of delicious wine from a great vintage that should, for the most part, be drunk over the next 5-7 years. Large-scaled opulent wines with silky tannins and succulent fruit profiles. In short, yummy wines to have fun with while they are young (with some exceptions which should prove to age well for 10 years)
2006 Bergstrom Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir
The 2006 Bergstrom Vineyard is a barrel selection from all 8 of the clonal blocks of the Bergstrom Vineyard. This year, almost 50% of the 13 acres’ wine from the Bergstrom Vineyard made the selection for the Vineyard Designate which is the most in the vineyard’s history with a total of 1200 cases being bottled!
The 2006 Bergstrom Vineyard Pinot Noir has a deeper hue this year than in previous years with a dark scarlet red color with reflections of purple. This young wine has an enormous aromatic profile so typical of this vineyard: dark raspberries, black cherries, earthy minerality and an ever so small hint of mint and game enveloped in toasty oak tones of chocolate and tobacco.
This young wine shows enormous potential for the future….the palate-feel is dense and full of ripe fruit flavors with mouthwatering acidity and a sweet veil of silky tannins. With aeration this wine opens up to show layers of generous fruit and floral aromas including violets and roses as well as forest strawberry and dark currant.
Drink now through 2017
Only 1200 cases made.
Price: $75 per bottle
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
2006 de lancellotti Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir
This is the darkest wine we have crafted from this vineyard, offering up an intense aromatic display. A myriad of fruits and spices including anise, pepper and incense with hints of peppermint, dark cherry, cassis and Marionberry come to mind. This wine is poignant and juicy with a great natural acidity.
Only 455 cases produced, drink from 2007-2017.
Price: $65 per bottle |
|
|
|
|
|
2006 Shea Vineyard Designate Pinot Noir
This year’s Shea Vineyard designate comes from a barrel selection of four blocks on the East Hill of the Shea Vineyard from Dijon Clones 115, 777, 828 and the Wadenswil clone. All were harvested and fermented separately and then aged in 90% new French oak barrels for 11 months before being bottled in September of 2007. 35 barrels were picked for this vineyard designate wine of the 48 barrels of Shea we made in 2006.
This wine has a deep scarlet color with violet tints at the rim of the glass. The aromas are dense with brooding dark fruit and earth tones giving way to sweet baking spices, graham and toasty oak tones of coffee and chocolate.
On the palate this wine is young and powerful with large amounts of generous fruit flavors and sweet ripeness. The wine has a poignant red fruit character now, showing raspberries and dark cherries as well as an undertone of currant hidden inside of its tight structure. With aeration this wine begins to unfold, showing layers of spice and sweet red and black fruits with mouth-coating tannin and a generous finish.
Drink now through 2011.
Price: $65 per bottle
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 Willamette Valley Chardonnay
This is the first Willamette Valley Chardonnay that we have made since the 2002 vintage. The wine comes from two very distinct vineyard sites growing Dijon clone chardonnay on volcanic soils: Durant Vineyard in the Dundee Hills Appellation and Carabella Vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains Appellation (both vineyards supply Bergstrom Wines with fruit for both our Willamette Valley and Reserve Chardonnay programs.) Our Chardonnays are whole-cluster pressed and cold settled in tanks before being drained to a mixture of French Oak and stainless steel barrels for fermentation. We use a wide variety of yeasts, both native and selected strains, to achieve a balanced Chardonnay with old-world integrity and new world flair.
The 2006 Willamette Valley Chardonnay has rich and opulent aromas of pineapple, apples, lemon zest and a small kiss of creamy vanilla from the 40% French Oak that is used in the barrel ageing of this wine. This wine is broad and expansive in the mouth with great ripe fruit flavors and a nice balancing natural acidity which will make this wine highly versatile as an aperitif wine of as a wine to pair with main-courses. This wine should please now and over the next 5 years.
Only 400 cases made.
Price: $35 per bottle
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 Dr. Bergstrom Riesling
Harvested over 6 different days in mid October of 2006 from four different sites (Chehalem Mountain Vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains, Vigna Giovanni in the Yamhill Carlton District, Cherry Grove in the Yamhill Carlton District and Territorial Vineyard in Eugene’s Willamette Valley appellation.) This wine was slowly and carefully fermented entirely in small stainless steel tanks and barrels at cool temperatures over a six month period. Malolactic fermentation was blocked.
The 2006 Dr. Bergstrom Riesling has an explosive aromatic profile of lychee nuts, Quince, marshmallow candies, tropical and citrus fruits. It almost smells more like a German Scheurebe. The mouthfeel is rich and ripe with a full-bodied character for a Riesling with the tropical and citrus fruit aromas echoing on the finish. This wine still contains 1.7 grams of sugar per liter and is balanced by a nice ripe acidity which should make this wine very versatile in the kitchen. Drink now through 2011.
1,100 cases made.
Price: $25 per bottle
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
This wine is a favorite amongst our customers year in and year out. Every year the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a barrel selection of our best vineyard sites, where we are looking for a fruit-driven and youthful Pinot Noir to be enjoyed young while our reserve wines age in the cellar. The 2006 vintage was a great year to craft this kind of wine.
Ripe and opulent, the 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir has a lush aromatic profile of dark fruits, plums and spice as well as a kiss of toasty French Oak. This wine comes from the Bishop Creek, Palmer Creek, Pelos-Sandberg, Anderson and Cherry Grove Vineyards and was aged for 7 months in French Oak (40% new) before being bottled in early May of 2007. This wine has a juicy succulent core of fruit which represents the appeal of the 2006 vintage and should be drunk over the next three to five years.
Only 400 cases produced.
Price: $30 per bottle
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 Cumberland Reserve
The 2006 Cumberland Reserve is a multi-appellation blend from the following vineyards: Bergström, de Lancellotti, Shea, Nysa, Durant, Temperance Hill, Anderson, Palmer Creek, Cherry Grove, Pelos Sandberg, Kalita, Lia's, Bishop Creek and Vigna Giovanni. Each vineyard harvested, vinified and barrel-aged separately until blending in Mid-August of 2007.
The color is deep ruby red with pale reflections of pink at the rim of the glass. On the nose you will find bright and youthful aromas of bright red cherry, red currant, chocolate and sweet spices such as clove, cinnamon and vanilla. These aromas echo in the generous mouthfeel with bright red berry and high-toned sweet spices finishing with good acid and fine tannins and a healthy amount of ripeness, characteristic of this warm vintage.
Decantation/aeration highly recommended for consumption during 2007-2008 time span.
Cases produced: 5,500
Price: $45 per bottle
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
2005 Chardonnay
Brilliant and crystalline pale-greenish white-gold in color, the 2005 Eyrie Vineyard Chardonnay has youthful aromas of lemon curd, pine, salt water and apples with the slightest hint at toasted oak. The wine is focused and nervous at the same time, with a medium bodied fresh citrus and apple core of fruit. This wine is lush in the mouth with viscous texture and intense minerality. Grapefruit and citrus skin with limes and nuts wrapped in a creamy veil, but finishes with bright acidity and should drink very well for the next 8-10 years.
The Eyrie Vineyard was whole cluster pressed and fermented in three stainless steel barrels and two neutral French oak barrels on its lees for a 2 month alcoholic fermentation and then barrel aged until August stirring the lees once monthly undergoing a partial malolactic fermentation.
Price: $35 per bottle
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2005 Sauvignon Blanc
The first Sauvignon Blanc from Bergstrom Wines - a wine that
will make you smile. The fruit comes from the Wren Vineyards and
the result is a very typical Sauvignon Blanc with strong aromas
of tropical fruits (lychee, star-fruit and kiwi) blend nicely with
dried herbs and freshly cut straw to form an amazing swirl of perfume.
The mouthfeel is rich and round but remains true to an older world
style with tight structure and bright acidity. This wine should
best accompany steamed mussels or clams, lobster or crab, or as
a pairing with goat cheeses. Drink now through 2009.
Price: $28 per bottle. |
|
 |
| |
|
Sold Out |
|
| 2005 Riesling
Wow!, Gorgeous explosive Riesling aromas of dried apricot, Meyer
lemon, lime oil, and spice blend wonderfully. The mouthfeel is bursting
with the juicy character and rich sweet stone-fruits (apricot and
peach) with candied lemon and ginger notes. Very fun wine now and
can only improve into the spring, summer months and beyond. This
wine has paired wonderfully for our family with salmon and trout
dishes, spicy entrees and Asian-influenced foods such as sushi or
sashimi. Drink now through 2011+
Price: $20 per bottle. |
|
 |
| |
|
Order Now |
|
| 2005 Pinot Gris
After 5 great years of making and appreciating Willamette
Valley Pinot Gris, this will be the last Bergstrom Pinot Gris to
be released in the marketplace.
Produced in the Bergstrom style, using 8 different yeast strains
isolated from great wine regions around the world and fermented
in 100% stainless steel barrels for 4 months on heavy lees, it is
sure to please our white-wine savvy customers who are looking for
Grand Cru Alsace style and structure at a better price.
This is a very big style and should be immediately pleasing for
the spring and summer months paired with fish, shellfish and white
meat dishes preferably herbed and cooked with savory cream and spices.
Price: $20 per bottle. |
|
 |
| |
|
Sold Out |
|
| 2005 Willamette
Valley Pinot Noir
The first Pinot Noir bottling every year is the Willamette Valley
Pinot Noir, a wine meant to please the hedonist and collector alike
…at a very good price.
This youthful wine has all of the stuffing for immediate pleasure
or even extended bottle ageing. Showcasing the beautiful 2005 Vintage,
which has elegance and power at the same time, this first offering
from our cellar is a great litmus test for wines to come and a great
taste of the 2005 vintage months before our vineyard designates
are released. 400 cases produced.
Price: $30 per bottle
|
|
 |
| |
|
Sold Out |
|
| 2005 Cumberland
Reserve Pinot Noir
The 2005 Cumberland Reserve is a blend of the Bergstrom, de Lancellotti,
Shea, Nysa, Palmer Creek, Cherry Grove, La Collina, Broadley
and Bishop Creek Vineyards; showcasing the best of what Oregon's
diverse appellations have to offer. These diverse lots were
harvested over several weeks during the latter part of the 2005
harvest season, fermented and barrel aged in 50% new French oak
barrels before being blended together after 9 months of barrel ageing.
The Cumberland Reserve is always one of our most cellar-worthy
wines, showing great depth of fruit and powerful structure. This
wine will be at its best between 3 and 8 years after the vintage.
The 2005 Cumberland Reserve showcases the best aspects of the vintage
with bright acidity, dark color, lower alcohol than past vintages,
wonderful red fruit character and intense spicy aromatics.
This will prove to be one of our best Cumberland blends yet!
Price: $45 per bottle. |
|
 |
| |
|
Sold Out |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
2005 Shea Vineyard
Pinot Noir
The 2005 Shea Vineyard comes on the heels of the highly successful
2004 effort (94 points Wine Spectator!) with even darker color and
incredible spicy, earthy fruit driven aromatics. This wine is definitely
the biggest wine of the vintage with incredible black cherry color,
rich spice-cake, earth and black fruit aromas and an enormous mouthfeel
and structure to age. This wine will definitely be one of the most
popular of the vintage (especially since we only bottled 125 cases
of it this year!)
Bergstrom Winery has the enormous pleasure of leasing 7 beautifully
situated acres within the East Hill of the Shea Vineyard. We farm
4 blocks of Pinot Noir planted to Dijon clone 115, 777, 828 and
Wadenswil. These four separate climates each have their own characteristics
and personality and are harvested, fermented and barrel aged separately
in 100% new French oak before being bottled.
100 cases produced
Price: $60 per bottle |
|
|
| |
|
Only available through wine club |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
2005 de Lancellotti Vineyard Pinot Noir
The 8 acres of de Lancellotti Vineyard, planted in 2001, continue to go from strength to strength, creating wines of great power and structure with a refined and classic touch. This wine was just recently quoted by Matt Kramer’s “A-list” of the Pacific Northwest to be quite possibly one of the most age-worthy and sought-after wines in the portfolio. Farmed certified Biodynamic this is a wine of depth and intrigue and one which will continue to please for many years to come.
The 2005 de Lancellotti Vineyard Pinot Noir is the darkest wine we have crafted from this vineyard, offering up an intense aromatic display. Always a myriad of fruits and spices come to mind when putting this wine to nose and it is often hard to pin down exactly what we are smelling sometimes, the bouquet is so intense. Anise, pepper, incense, and pepper-minty black fruits like dark cherry, cassis and marionberry come to mind again and again. The mouth-feel in a young de Lancellotti wine is poignant and juicy focusing on the great natural acidity this vineyard is blessed with and showcasing the rich dark fruits these sandy soils are known for. As the wine ages, the opulence will begin to shine through offering a hedonistic glimpse at why Willakenzie soils and Pinot Noir can often times be likened to the Cote de Nuits in Burgundy, yet bigger!
455 cases produced, drink from 2007-2017 if cellared well
Price: $65 per bottle
|
|
|
|
|
Sold OUT |
|
|
2004 Bergström Vineyard Pinot Noir
Our 15 acre Pinot Noir vineyard, first planted in 1999 by the Bergstrom family, sits on a unique basaltic flow in a bowl shaped south-east facing slope in the Dundee Hills. This site, for only being 8 years old, is producing world-class Pinot Noirs which will rival the best wines from Burgundy and beyond. Farmed certified Biodynamic since the 2004 vintage (and organically since its first planting), the Bergstrom Vineyard continues to go from strength to strength, showcasing why the Oregon Pioneers chose the Dundee Hills as a starting point and anchor for the great Oregon wine industry.
With a dark scarlet hue, this year’s Bergstrom Vineyard is deep and intense in color to the rim of the glass. The aromatic explosion is a concentrated mix of ripe red cherries, wild forest strawberries and intoxicating oak spice with a solid core of minerals and stone. This wine is plush and silky in texture balancing enormous fruit and mouthfeel with suave and ultra-fine grained tannins. This wine should drink well from 2007 until 2017 if cellared well. 600 cases produced
ging.
550 cases produced
Price: $75 per bottle
|
|
|
| |
|
Sold Out |
|
|
| 2004 Red Table Wine
Once again, we have scoured the Northern Willamette Valley 's best
wine cellars to find great barrels of Bordeaux varieties to purchase
and blend in our winery and bottle as the 2004 Bergstrom Red Wine.
A great tradition started only 4 years ago, the Red Wine is a great
opportunity for us to provide our customers with a hedonistic fruit-bomb
of a wine with loads of potential for the spring, summer and fall
barbecue seasons.
Price: $20 per bottle. |
|
|
| |
|
SOLD OUT |
|
| |
|
|
|
| 2004 Pinot Gris
As always our Pinot Gris is a blend of three old vine vineyards,
Wahle, Five-Mountains, and Vigna Giovanni, all boasting 22-30 year
old Pinot Gris vines. This wine is meant to be the perfect summer
sipper and a great accompaniment for the aperitif hour, mixed salads,
fish, and chicken or pork dishes.
This wine tastes great now and should develop nicely in the bottle
for the next 3-6 years.
Price: $18 per bottle. |
|
|
| |
|
SOLD
OUT |
|
| |
|
|
|
2004 Chardonnay
From Draper clone vines hand-planted by David Lett in 1967 comes
a new vision of Chardonnay from Bergström Winery. Striving
for a balanced Chardonnay of Burgundian influence, we have worked
closely with David Lett to handcraft a rich yet suave Chardonnay
fermented in stainless steel barrels using native yeast strains
selected from the Eyrie Vineyard itself. The Eyrie Vineyard Chardonnays
are well known among wine connoisseurs around the world to age beautifully
for decades. 75 cases produced.
Price: $28 per bottle
SOLD OUT |
|
|
| 2004 Willamette
Valley Pinot Noir
The 2004 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a blend of Wadenswil
clone from the Bergström estate vineyard and 113 clone from
Palmer Creek Vineyard. 2004 was a terrific vintage for crafting
fruit-forward Pinot Noirs with beautifully integrated acidity and
ripe silky tannins. 400 cases produced.
|
|
|
| |
|
SOLD
OUT |
|
| |
|
| 2004 Cumberland
Reserve Pinot Noir
This powerful wine has a vibrant nose of cherry, spices, and red
berry fruits with mouth watering acid and plush ripe tannins. A
beautiful Pinot blend with deep ruby colors. Impressive now and
even more so with careful cellaring!
The 2004 is a blend of Hyland, Bergstrom, de Lancellotti, and Palmer
Creek vineyards. Four different soil types from four different appellations
in Oregon's Willamette Valley come together to create our most complex
and age worthy blend made in "old world" style.
Aged in approximately 50% new French oak for 10 months, the 2004
Cumberland Reserve is a tour de force highlighting the great natural
acidity and ripe tannins of the vintage with a rich and almost decadent
mouthful of classic pinot noir fruit flavors.
In 2004, we will produce only 1,200 cases of the Cumberland Reserve
for the national and international markets
|
|
 |
| |
|
Sold
Out |
|
| |
|
2004 Broadley
Vineyard Pinot Noir
Broadley Winery has been crafting fine wines since the early 80s
in Monroe Oregon and in 2003 we decided to trade fruit in an effort
to work with a great vineyard site which produces wines of incredible
individuality and potential. The vineyard is located high on a hill
facing north east and planted to several Dijon clones of Pinot Noir.
The vineyard seems to always retain optimum ripeness of sugars,
aroma and flavors while retaining incredible natural acidity and
tannic structure. This makes for an incredible cellar candidate
for the long term.
Typical aromas are intense red berry fruits, wild bramble bush
fruits, tar, dark licorice, tobacco smoke and baking spices with
a "hint of corruption:" These wines are tannic and structured when
young and need a year or 2 of aging or stiff decanting to reveal
their potential. 145 cases produced
Price: $45 per bottle |
|
|
| |
|
Sold
Out |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
2004 Nysa Vineyard
Pinot Noir
The Nysa vineyard (pronounced Neesa) is located high up the Dundee
Hills, neighboring Domaine Drouhin's estate vineyard. Planted in
the early 80s by Michael Mega to Pommard and Wadenswil clone vines,
the Nysa vineyard is known for subtlety and elegance. The high elevation
allows for extended hang time and increased phenolic ripeness without
extreme sugars or low acids in the finished product. The Nysa Vineyard
will show classic Pinot Noir characters of bright, high-pitched,
tangy red berry fruits with crispness and verve. The natural acidity
and ripe suave tannins will allow for early enjoyment but also for
extended cellaring. This will be a very versatile Pinot Noir! 90
cases produced.
Just rated 90 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
(May/June 2006)! Read more by clicking on News!
Price: $45 per bottle |
|
|
| |
|
Sold
out |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
2004 Shea Vineyard
Pinot Noir
From Block Five high up on the east hills of Shea Vineyard (Dijon
777 clone) and the Oak Block down below on the same hill (Dijon
115 clone) we have crafted another great vintage of Shea Vineyard
Pinot Noir. Shea Vineyard is a 135 acre vineyard located just 2
miles west of Bergström Winery and is named after Dick Shea
who sells fruits to both Oregon and California wineries as well
as crafting his own label. Bergström Winery is proud to have
8 acres of Shea Vineyard under long term contract and through strict
farming and low yields annually (1.5 tons per acre) and careful
fermentation techniques we are able to create a wine with intense
spice and fruit on the nose with an enormous and lush attack of
fruit in the mouth.
This wine will drink very well upon release and should age well
for the medium term.
Just rated 91 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
(May/June 2006)! Read more by clicking on News!
400 cases produced
|
|
|
| |
|
Sold
Out |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 2004 de Lancellotti
Vineyard Pinot Noir
The de Lancellotti Vineyard is now only 6 years old but has begun
to act like a giant in the world of great terroirs. The sandy Dupee
type soils which sit on a bedrock of sandstone create significant
stress on the vines during the growing season which makes for incredibly
concentrated fruits which focus more on the black fruit character
and spices than on the red fruit characters and floral notes which
the thick Dundee clay soils exhibit.
Just rated 90 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
(May/June 2006)! Read more by clicking on News!
Less than 200 cases produced.
Price: $60 per bottle |
|
|
| |
|
Sold
out |
|
|
| 2004 Bergström
Vineyard Pinot Noir
The Bergstrom Vineyard continues to go from strength to strength
and is now beginning to act like an older vine vineyard as it's
ripening season has become more balanced and the Pinot Noir clusters
hang longer and longer each season to create a wonderful balance
of rich concentrated flavors and truly physiologically ripe tannins
and anthocyanins, without achieving over-ripe fruit.
The rich Dundee soils produce wines of great texture. These wines
are focused and revolve around a core of sweet red fruits and are
laced with the floral scents of the small native flowers which dot
the hillsides.
This vineyard is meticulously hand farmed and creates wines of
great potential for early enjoyment or extended cellar aging.
550 cases produced
|
|
|
| |
|
Sold out |
|
|
| 2003 Broadley
Vineyard Pinot Noir
From one of Oregon 's most respected vineyard/winery sites comes
the first ever Broadley Vineyard Designate Pinot Noir made by Bergström
Winery. Broadley Winery is best known for their magnificent Claudia's
Choice Pinot Noir, which is the highest scoring Oregon Pinot Noir
ever (1994 Claudia's Choice - 97pts by Wine Spectator).
From vines located just below the Claudia's Choice block in the
Broadley Vineyard, high on a northeast-facing slope in Monroe, Oregon
comes this deeply colored, richly aromatic wine. With intense earthy
nuances and a rich cherry liqueur nose, this wine is well structured
with broad shoulders and a huge presence in the mouth. 50% whole-cluster
fermentation. Wow! 90 cases produced.
|
|
 |
| |
|
Sold Out
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 2003 de Lancellotti
Vineyard Pinot Noir
The second jewel in the Bergström Estate crown is the magnificent
de Lancellotti Vineyard, situated at the crest of Calkins lane between
Ribbon Ridge and Bald Peak. This sandy-soiled vineyard planted densely
with Dijon clones 115 and 777 had provided a powerful wine of incredible
vibrancy for the massive 2003 vintage.
Produced from a mere 3 tons of fruit off of 8 acres of vines, this
scarlet-hued Pinot Noir offers gorgeous focused aromas of black
cherries, brambly fruits, caramel and toasty new French oak. In
the mouth this wine is poignant with a restrained sense of urgency
about it. Bright sappy fruit flavors enveloped in a balanced acid/tannin
structure may make this wine the best cellar candidate of the vintage.
230 cases produced.
Price: $55 per bottle |
|
 |
| |
|
Sold
Out |
|
|
| |
| 2003 Shea
Vineyard Pinot Noir
From five beautifully situated acres within the Shea Vineyard
comes our first ever Shea Vineyard Designate Pinot Noir. With an
intense black cherry robe, this wine's bouquet is intoxicating,
showing off the blackberry, black currant, dark cherry and spices
the Willakenzie soils are known for. The mouthfeel displays an unbelievable
dichotomy of overripe and fresh fruit flavors bursting with intensity
and leading to an enormous silky finish that lasts and lasts. This
wine will do very well in both the near and long-term. 230 cases
produced.
|
|
 |
| |
|
Sold
Out |
|
| |
|
|
Vintage Notes: (2004 - 1999)
2004 VINTAGE:
The 2004 Vintage was bizarre from the very get go, starting actually
in 2003 with one of the hottest and driest years on record, the vines
roots were lacking water for the beginning of the 2004 season. The winter
was marked with the extremes of mild warm spells and frigid ice storms.
In March we had several uncharacteristic hot days with temperatures climbing
up over 90 Fahrenheit which pushed the early bud-break and started off
the season. When the shoots had reached 2-4 inches in length, the cool
weather returned and the vines growth grinded to a halt. The vine shoots
were pale green bordering on yellow as they could not get the nutrition
they needed with the cold wet ground and miserable weather. People feared
the worst with frosts and hail, none of which happened but we did experience
something not seen in Oregon in recent years. The vines were now "constipated"
if you will with excess Nitrogen from their early growth which now had
no way of escaping the plant with low photosynthesis due to poor weather.
This phenomenon induced an inflorescence necrosis" or a killing off of
the vines' flowers. This coupled with poor weather again at bloom left
many vineyards in the area with 30-70% less crop. Some vineyards in the
Dundee Hills almost lost the entire crop. At the same time we were noticing
that several of the vine's shoots on each plant were shorter by 1-2 feet
than the other shoots leaving the canopy looking like a "W" instead of
a solid curtain of vine leaves. This retardation of growth meant that
several clusters per plant were at least one week behind the other clusters
of the same plant in maturity and ripening. We had to act fast to eliminate
the green clusters at color change to ensure a homogeneous ripening of
the vineyard's fruit.
In August we endured several small but drastic storms which dropped close
to 3 inches of rain in some areas. This rainwater quickly saturated the
soils and was taken up by the vines' feeder roots thus bloating berries.
Several of the smaller "shot" berries exploded under the pressure leaving
a perfect environment for mold to grow. And mold did grow. The burst berries
quickly became host to several species of molds, mostly aspergilla and
penicillin blue and green molds like you would see on an old bread loaf.
At this point, with rain on the horizon we had to enter the vineyard quickly
and spray to try and stop the mold from growing and creating a perfect
environment for botrytis and grey rot.
As if this were not enough the forecast again changed for the worse and
it proceeded to rain steadily and sometimes quite heavily for 15 days
straight. For most of us it felt like the apocalypse. For the older Oregon
winemakers it felt like "the good old days" when Oregon vintages rarely
saw the 14-15% alcohols we've seen over the past 4 years. Having lived
in Burgundy and seen the conditions that they endure, I wasn't as worried
as the vineyards who began to frantically pick in the rain hoping to salvage
some sort of marketable product.
But great wines come from great patience and many Oregon wineries were
rewarded by waiting through the rain because on September 20 th , the
sun came out and it stayed out for another two and a half weeks with temperatures
staying in the high seventies and low eighties. The fruit recovered beautifully
with sound acids and decent sugars. Some vineyards tasted like it had
never even rained and continued their ripening process to yield magnificent
fruit.
It was not all gloom and doom during 2004. In fact
it was once again one of the hottest summers we have seen in decades.
We had at least 15 days where the temperature peaked over 95 Fahrenheit
and at least twice that many where the temperature was at least 90. It
goes to show though that wine quality and vintage character are made up
of a series of averages marked by several extreme and well placed weather
events. You never know what you have until the day of harvest. Luckily
this year we found ourselves once again harvesting under sunny skies with
very nice fruit.
The 2004 wines will be lovely pinot noirs with high acids and very respectable
alcohol levels (13-14.5%) They will smell and taste like Pinot Noir with
crisp and well-delineated red fruits. This will be a vintage for medium
to long term cellar potential and reminds me like a hypothetical blend
of the 1999's and 2002's.
2003 Vintage:
The 2003 Vintage was perhaps the warmest overall vintage
in Oregon since 1983. The vintage started out with dry soils from lower
than normal winter rains and an early spring with budbreak happening slightly
earlier than previous years.
The growing season was steady and warm with higher than normal daytime
temperatures in June, July and August. This phenomenon was seen across
the globe. Europe suffered through the hottest summer in decades with
thousands of elderly succumbing to the heat. Here in Newberg we saw scorching
temperatures in June and July which left several vineyards with sunburnt
berries and heat stressed vines.
Leading into harvest the laboratory numbers were correct in grape musts.
Sugars were normal and acids were steady leading us to believe that despite
the warm summer, the wines might end up being quite well balanced. Then
around September 15 th . The temperatures picked up and the East winds
began to blow bringing warmer drier air down from Eastern Oregon. This
brought daytime temperatures up into the 90's and even the 100's off and
on for several weeks.
We had to act quickly as the harvest in most vineyards, especially young
vines, was beginning to dry up and disappear. Sunburn had eradicated up
to 60% of the fruit in one vineyard. As the fruit began to dehydrate,
the berries started to shrivel up causing acids to fall and sugars to
rise dramatically. The problem was that the flavors that we look for in
ripe fruit were not there and the phenolic ripeness (or ripeness of the
tannins and anthocyanins) was not mature. This meant that there was a
big decision to be made. Either harvest for lower alcohols but suffer
rough tannins and green flavors, or wait for flavor and tannin development
but suffer high alcohols.
We chose to wait for flavor enhancement and further ripening of the seeds
as high alcohols were easier to deal with than green flavors which are
irreversible. Grapes started to come into the winery on September 20 th
and we finished harvesting the last fruit by October 5 th . Natural potential
alcohols of 16%-18% were not uncommon in the young vine pinot noirs, with
the older vines handling the heat better. The fermentations were very
long lasting well into the winter months in barrel rather than finishing
in the fermentation tanks during harvest. The secondary fermentations
were very long and cumbersome as the bacteria were struggling to convert
acids in a difficult high-alcohol environment. When the wines finally
went dry they were glorious and continued to develop nicely through the
spring months up until their bottling in August, surprising most skeptics
who worried that the wines would be out of balance and hot.
Bergstrom Wines crafted 9 Pinot Noirs in 2003, our total production was
5,000 cases. For the most part the 2003 Pinot Noirs should age nicely
for the short to medium term, 5-8 years for the Willamette Valley, Shea
Vineyard, Broadley Vineyard. Some Vineyards should age well for 10-12
years: Arcus Vineyard, Bergstrom Vineyard, Cumberland Reserve, de Lancellotti
Vineyard. Bergstrom Whole Cluster and Hyland Vineyard Yard 3. The Pinot
Gris should be drunk over the next 3 years.
2002 Vintage
The 2002 Vintage, as has been already heralded throughout the national
and international press, was like a dream come true. A truly classic Pinot
Noir vintage which combined the fully mature ripeness levels needed for
opulent flashy wines balanced with sound acidity and ripe tannin structure
for extended ageing. These wines will remain youthful for some time and
should reach their peak drinking windows in 10-20 years.
What marked the 2002 vintage as being special was the following factors:
1. The warm dry summer months led immediately into a long "Indian Summer"
with sunny days lasting into the end of October and even creating a mild
November. Temperatures rarely peaked above 80-85 Farenheit which let most
growers wait until the prime moment to harvest under optimum conditions.
2. The fermentations were clean and natural with all native yeast ferments
"behaving themselves" creating wines of great purity and intensity. Many
winemakers have noted that it is almost as if the wines wanted to make
themselves in 2002 with very little intervention. 3. The wines tasted
beautiful and ready to drink from the moment they left the fermentation
tanks to the moment that they were bottled. This is always a sign of a
great vintage.
Bergstrom Wines made 4 Pinot Noirs in 2002, our total production was
5,000 cases . The Arcus vineyard and the Bergstrom Vineyard Designates
need another 2-3 years of cellaring before being opened and if opened
earlier they will benefit from 2+ hours of decanting. The Cumberland Reserve
is drinking wonderfully now and should develop nicely for another decade
or more. The Willamette Valley is drinking nice now and is showing some
nice gamey notes from bottle ageing and should be decanted for 1-2 hours
before enjoying.
2001 Vintage :
The 2001 Vintage is in my mind the "hiccup" vintage in a series of outstanding
vintages on either end of it. After the warm and very successful 1998,1999
and 2000 vintages, 2001 was the first year in a while that posed a series
of challenges to vineyard managers and winemakers.
The Vintage can be summed up as being "big". Not big as in big wines,
but big as in big clusters of pinot noir. The flowering in most vineyards
occurred during prime conditions of sunny skies and a light breeze which
created an enormous crop which was immediately apparent to most growers.
Several vineyards in the Willamette Valley were setting a natural 7-8
tons to the acre, traditionally known as a "bumper crop", something frowned
upon in high-quality winemaking where lower yields traditionally mean
more concentrated flavors.
Efforts to drop as much crop as possible were thwarted by ideal growing
conditions and a growing season that was marked by a series of perfectly
timed rain showers which continued to bloat the already enormous berries.
We entered each of our vineyards and dropped 2/3 to 3/4 of the fruit on
the ground early to try and counteract this enormous crop load and we
still saw higher yields than we had anticipated at harvest. The summer
months and fall months were beautiful and the crop was was technologically
ripe at harvest but as many wineries saw in the fermentation tanks the
colors and flavors were not concentrated and efforts to "create" concentration
through winemaking techniques were needed. Bergstrom sorted rigorously
on the sorting table and bled off 5-10% of the juice in all fermentation
tanks ( a process known as a saignee) in order to try and concentrate
the musts. The wines were punched down and pumped over more often than
normal to try and extract as much as possible from the potentially soft
wines.
As the wines went to barrel they were light in color and amazingly they
picked up in both color and texture during their barrel ageing on their
lees. Creating some very fine wines.
2001 was a vintage of finesse creating some very fine wines. Overall
the 2001 vintage will not be a long lived vintage and should be consumed
before the 1999's or 2002's.
Bergstrom Wines crafted 3 Pinot Noirs in 2001 and our total production
was 3,000 cases. The Arcus Vineyard should be decanted for 2 hours before
consumption or bottle aged another 2-3 years and should continue to age
well into 2010+.
The Cumberland Reserve was bottled with higher than normal dissolved
CO2 gas, a technique which allows us to use less Sulfur at bottling and
allows the wine to age better and stay fresher longer. Several customers
have remarked how it seems to be gassy upon opening. This wine needs to
be decanted for 2-3 hours to blow off the dissolved CO2.
The Willamette Valley is drinking beautifully now and should continue
to age well for the next 3-5 years.
2000 Vintage:
The 2000 vintage started out with one of the worst frosts
the Northern Willamette Valley has seen in some time with several vineyards
losing 20-60% of their primary bud growth. After a drastic beginning to
the year, the rest of the vintage almost seemed like a "non-event" as
the temperatures and conditions through harvest were almost linear with
no extreme spikes of hot or cold which tend to mark great vintages.
The harvest started for us at the end of September and lasted a short
two weeks as we were only making 1,000 cases of wine. The fruit from Hyland
Vineyard was harvested in two passes to try and create a good blend of
higher natural acidity in the first pass and higher natural sugars in
the second pass. Arcus Vineyard was harvested in the middle with good
natural sugars and acidity but higher than usual seed content and slightly
unripe phenolics.
Overall the 2000 vintage was a vintage of elegance in the Willamette
Valley that will be characterized by soft and supple wines of grace. However
at Bergstrom Winery we experienced concentrated dark wines with high tannin
content and good natural acidity which meant that the wines were tough
in their youth and now are starting to show their breed.
Bergstrom Wines made two Pinot Noirs in 2000 and our total production
was 1,000 cases. The Arcus Vineyard still needs 2-3 years of bottle ageing
or a stiff decantation before drinking. It is a burly pinot noir with
great character and breed but enormous structure. The *2000 Willamette
Valley is drinking wonderfully now with the slight note of Brettanomyces
(a yeast strain which leaves a characteristic barnyard note) which makes
this wine taste almost like a Gevrey Chambertin. Drink it now and/or hold
for the next 5-8 years.
*Note: in 1999 and 2000 Bergstrom Winery made one Pinot Noir called the
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir which was $28 and $35 respectively. This
wine became the Cumberland Reserve when the 2001 Willamette Valley was
introduced at a smaller price point ($18) and included different fruit
sources.
1999 Vintage
In 1999 I returned from France with Caroline to begin farming
our Estate Vineyard, the Bergstrom Vineyard and make our first vintage
from a contract my father had secured during my year abroad. I came home
to one of the coldest summers Oregon had seen in a long while with the
vineyard growing season being severely retarded by unusually cold and
wet conditions. Many growers and wineries feared the worst as estimates
showed a harvest in late October or Early November which is never good
news.
The vineyard source we had would not drop fruit for us, they would not
let us enter the vineyard to do the work ourselves and they would not
let us pay by the acre. So we dropped the contract two months before harvest
deciding that it was better to not make a first wine of ill-repute. We
had decided from day one that we would do anything and everything in our
vineyard and winery to craft world-class wine and this vineyard source
was obviously motivated by something other than quality.
Lucky for us Gary Andrus at Archery Summit were kind enough to trust
us as quality oriented people and decided to sell us 0.25 tons of fruit
from Arcus Vineyard. (What the heck were we going to do with 0.25 tons
of fruit?) The 0.25 tons turned into 0.5 and then into 1.5 and finally
into 3 tons from three of their estate vineyards: Red Hills, Arcus and
Knight's Gambit. We also sourced a small amount of fruit from the Murto
Vineyard high in the Dundee Hills. And before you knew it our 1999 Bergstrom
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir was born. Gary has since moved on from Archery
Summit but has remained a great friend. He trusted me as a young winemaker
when most people were closing doors in my face. For that first year of
great fruit we will always be grateful.
The 1999 growing season can be sung from the mountaintops as one of Oregon's
great vintages in recent history. The cold and late growing season miraculously
turned into one of the most gorgeous "Indian Summers" Oregon has seen
with clear skies lasting well into November and growers able to pick fruit
that had glorious sugars with monumental acids and phenolic ripeness from
a very long ripening process. The vibrant fall colors lasted for two months
in the Northern Willamette Valley and some growers were forced to finally
pick because fall frosts had left their vines with nothing left hanging
on the branches but fruit. It was truly a joyous occasion and a legendary
vintage. A great first vintage for our winery.
In 1999 Bergstrom Wines made one wine, the 1999 Willamette Valley Pinot
Noir. Total production was 180 cases. This wine is still an infant having
not changed much since its release. Its natural acidity and lower alcohol
will ensure a beautiful life. I recomend standing the bottle upright
for one day prior to drinking and a soft decantation before drinking as
the wine has thrown a small sediment. The wine opens up well in the glass
for 2-3 hours.
|
