Sass Estate Pinot Noir 2017, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Sass Winery produces small amounts of handcrafted, super premium quality pinot noir, pinot gris, pinot blanc and chardonnay. The vineyard, first planted in 1989, is in the hills of South Salem, facing east and south, at a gently rolling elevation of 480-530 feet. The soils are well-drained red clay. The vines are closely spaced at 1,800 to the acre and are naturally farmed. The winery was built in 1995, sunk partly into the hillside so that the crush pad is 5 feet above the winery floor, allowing gravity, not pumps, to power the harvest. 2017 vintage – This deep, complex wine is made from grapes grown at Sass’ 2 estate vineyards, Walnut Ridge and Wild Winds, in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The grapes were fermented for 21 days in small, open-top tanks, then aged in French oak barrels. It was not fined or filtered.