2017 was a remarkable growing season, with excellent weather through the bulk of the year. Over the past several years we've been increasingly focused on canopy management, using no till farming to increase competition for nitrogen in the early growing season, and seeking more sunlight directly on the fruit and stems during the ripening period. The resulting wines have shown increased flavor development and acid maturity at lower Brix. With excellent weather, we harvested the second half of September and into early October, picking with modest sugars, excellent depth and nuance in flavor.
These wines still highlight the savory nature of the vintage, but the weight of the wine has started to fill in around the tannins and structure, and they are on a whole in a beautiful place for youthful enjoyment, showing powerful aromatics and mid-palate density, again, benefiting from a bit of air.
For whites, the Whistling Ridge Blanc is evolving well. If you have been able to hold a bit of this, it’s continuing to be delicious but in a bit of an adolescence. Drink now to 2027.
The Chardonnays are in a bit of a still place, and I would hold. They are chiseled, but the match stick jumps a bit more than is typical, and the body is fairly linear for now. Look to these in 2023-2027.
The 2017 Pinot Noirs, while savory still have also filled in a bit of texture and are in a lovely early window. The Willamette Valley is lighter bodied and so easy to drink. Light bodied, if you need weight, then hold another year or two. Also, day 2 is richer than day 1. The Ribbon Ridge is still in evolution, but boy what a great de-classified bottle of WR. This is delicious now, especially if you like a little structure. The vineyard designates from Whistling Ridge, Durant, and Temperance Hill are all just dynamite for crunchy youthful Pinot Noirs. Many years to go, but all in a good spot for the moment. I thought they would be asleep by now, but not quite yet.
For the Micro-Lots, the Last Acre at Whistling Ridge is in a lovely spot, almost Chorey-Les-Beaune like. Block 11 from Fir Crest continues to drink well and demonstrate what depth and complex wines can be produced from Yamhill-Carlton. The Heritage No. 9 Durant is sleeping soundly and definitely requests not to be woken up. The House is quieting down but the splendor of that bottling is still quite obvious. Tremendous length and intensity, but hold until 2027. The 2017 Long Acre is delicious, if restrained and it and the Pumphouse from Temperance Hill both seem like they will be long agers, hitting peak in 2027-2037. The Heritage No. 10 Whistling Ridge is my wine of the vintage, and is one of my favorite wines of my career(a bigger statement than it used to be now that there are 19 vintages to choose from.) We kept quite a bit of this, and in my opinion it will be one of my benchmark wines over the next 20 years.