Thanks! You will love these Pinots!
Thank you everyone! What a great day!
Announcing a slight shipping delay! Yes we had snow in the Willamette Valley but the reason is that these offers were so popular that I essentially ran out of mailing supplies and wine on hand! (18 cases shipped out yesterday— and only half way there!) Heading out to the mailing supply wholesaler and our wine storage place this morning.
Again, a huge thank you to the Berserker community! David
Just drank the Marie Paule. Killer value. Good after 30 minutes in glass, better in 3-5 years!
My 2 bottle sampler arrived in Miami yesterday! I’m ashamed it took until 4pm today to open them both. Amazing wines! Both Pinot, but so different - the M-P is inky purple, the Colette lighter and more typical of a Pinot, but both are incredibly smooth and great value. I can’t decide which I like more. I’m selling (right now on WB) bottles I have worth $100, and buying 5 of these for every 1 I sell - I’m in for at least another case, maybe 2.
Thanks Max! Stock up now— this wine will sell out before the next BD. The coupon codes have been extended through February 17 based on requests from all the folks who ordered a trial 2-pack.
Thanks Mark for your 2-case order! (40%/free shipping “BD40” coupon code). Yes, these two wines are such a contrast in styles. The 2018 Marie-Paule is half destemmed (fermentation) and half whole cluster, and the 2019 Colette is 100% destemmed. So that’s one aspect. I like to play around with different wine making styles as the whole cluster adds freshness, lowers ABV, and adds non-fruit savory notes (behind the fruit) among other things (it’s a complicated topic). Both wines have a good 5-clone representation of the Cortell Rose vineyard so not much difference there.
The key point is the vintage. 2018 was a warm and dry vintage (8th warmest year on record for Oregon) but without heat stress. No rain pressure in Sept or Oct meant that we could pick when desired and I am a fan of good maturity so I picked late. The combination of water stress and good maturity led to the high ABV— but the pH was below 3.4(!) so I felt it would be well balanced and did not add water (to lower the ABV). But yeah, amazing color saturation and high (but really soft) tannins and other phenolics. The cellar was warm in late Sept/Oct and the fermentation times were short (7 to 10 days on the skins/stems).
2019 started as a warm vintage but then in mid-Sept the weather cooled off significantly with light rain events every week. We kept waiting and waiting for a bit more ripening, but eventually we realized that there was no prospect of a warm(er)/dry October. I remember harvest morning being in the 40’s and we had nice long, cool, protracted fermentations. All of this resulted in a more classic Pinot style with verve, beautiful fruit but also rose/floral notes and freshness (again, the pH is below 3.4 on the Colette).
Thanks again!
Every part of dealing with Sun Break, especially drinking David’s wine, has been wonderful. Looking forward to drinking a lot more of his wine in the years to come…
Thanks, Max! Hey, I bottled three 2019 Pinot Noirs on March 2, in addition to the white and rosé that we announced on the e-mail list. Can’t wait to share these— they are off to a great, great start but I want my wine writer friends and wine maker colleagues to weigh in on release dates. It’s easy for me to be biased and impatient ; )
They provide contrasting styles to the 2019 Colette which is 100% destemmed and in barrel for only 10 months. Marie-Paule is vinified with destemmed and whole cluster fermentations and 16 months in barrel, and Ariane with 100% whole cluster and 16 months (among many other factors). I think the whole cluster additions add complexity and patina, but Colette is compelling and beguiling in her own way.
My original plan many years ago was to eventually chose one style, but there are aspects to each that draw me in. And it’s been fun to have folks explore how terroir can be expressed in different ways. It’s like having three children— they share many values and characteristics, but they have different personalities and it’s not fair to ask which one you love the most : )
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Hi David,
What’s the ABV of the 2019 Ariane and the 2019 Marie-Paule?
Thanks
Thanks for the inquiry, Nico. The 2019 ABVs are lower-- a cooler (regular) Oregon vintage! I am just now working on the new 2019 Pinot release email and they are all on the website, ready to go along with a few cases left of the 2018 Marie-Paule: https://sunbreakwinecider.com/ Be sure to grab the 20% discount for mixed (or solid) cases: Club - Sun Break Wine and Cider (our wine clubs are unique loyalty rewards-- no quarterly or other mandatory shipments/purchase whatsoever). (Free delivery, meet and greet, in the Willamette Valley, contact me at dpatte62@gmail.com)
Here are the descriptions and ABVs:
2018 Marie-Paule Pinot Noir**, Cortell-Rose Vineyard**, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, 14.7% ABV, 167 cases produced, only 39 remain. $32 Retail. This is a full-bodied, elegantly muscular and multidimensional Pinot, with terrific concentration. Rich flavors, smooth structuring tannins and lively acids. Long and resonant, this will merit and reward patience. Half destemmed and half whole cluster fermented. “This cuvée was half fermented with whole clusters. It’s a precise, focused wine—the blackberry and black cherry fruit has a gentle squirt of lemony acidity. It’s lively and clean, with no sulfites added, and a lovely showcase for this outstanding vineyard.” 93pts., Editors’ Choice, P. Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast, Oct 2020 “Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. Delicate aromas of blackberry, black currant and sweet tobacco. Well-endowed with lavish, dark fruits that offer more pop and finishing length than that found in the Colette bottling. There is a little more, but not intrusive, tannic spine evident (than the Colette).” 91 pts., Rusty Gaffney, Prince of Pinot, Nov 2020
2019 Colette Pinot Noir**, Cortell-Rose Vineyard**, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, 13.9% ABV, 238 cases produced, 140 remain. $32 Retail. This wine shows classic Eola-Amity Hills/Willamette Valley cool climate elegance and precision. 100% destemmed fermentations; Pinot Noir sourced from the organically-farmed, premier-quality Cortell-Rose Vineyard. “Ripe, round, fulsome fruit flavors: huckleberries, red currants and pie cherries. Notes of rose petal. Velvety tannins provide a luscious and dynamic yet soft, mouthfeel. Vibrates with tingly, vibrant spices – green peppercorn and clove – that reverberate from first sip to long-lasting finish. I prefer the 2019 vintage to the 94pt. 2018 vintage.” Peter Szymczak, former Oregon Wine Press wine writer, Nov. 2020
2019 Marie-Paule Pinot Noir, Cortell-Rose Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, 13.5% ABV, 128 cases produced, $32 Retail. A blend of whole cluster and destemmed fermentations, this wine showcases bright red cherry, cranberry and rose petal aromatics and flavors, flinty minerality and savory notes, and a zingy red cherry finish. This vintage of Marie-Paule is all about elegance and verve. Smooth with the gentle grip of lithe tannins, this focused wine can be enjoyed immediately but will also cellar well for years to come.
2019 Marie-Paule Pinot Noir, Open Claim Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, 14.1% ABV, 112 cases produced, $32 Retail. A blend of whole cluster and destemmed fermentations, from a warmer vineyard site than Cortell-Rose (less natural acidity). Redolent of rose and jammy black cherry aromatics and flavors. Mid-palate softness and richness lead to a pleasing, spicy finish with smooth tannins. Secondary savory notes showcase the elegance that characterizes the 2019 vintage. This is the richer, more assertive of our 2019 releases, approachable in its youth, and likely to cellar well for decades to come.
2019 Ariane Pinot Noir, Cortell-Rose Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, 13.9% ABV, 145 cases produced, $32 Retail. 100% whole cluster fermentation, this wine showcases bright red fruit along with appealing savory notes and more tannic structure than a 100% destemmed Pinot Noir. Notes of candied apple and cherry, followed by secondary savory notes of earthy meadow and a rich green olive salinity. The overall impression is one of elegance, dynamic verve and mystery. Whole cluster fermentation is classic Burgundian technique that explores another dimension of our terroir, one that produces a wine approachable upon release, but also rewards patience and cellaring.