2017 King Estate Pinot Gris Backbone

The Wine: Fruit for the Backbone wines comes from some of the finest vineyards in the state, vineyards that consistently produce high quality grapes that warrant their own bottling as vineyard designates. Instead of showcasing the terroir of a particular site, Backbone wines demonstrate that when blended, the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. We are pleased to showcase high quality fruit and to demonstrate how selection of geographically diverse lots can produce an excellently balanced wine with structured acidity and added layers of complexity. These vineyards are located throughout Oregon, though concentrated in the Willamette Valley. Such geographic diversity affords our winemaking team unmatched flexibility in crafting fine wines that truly express the Oregon terroir in any given vintage. The 2013 vintage begins with a lively and refreshing entrance with tart granny smith apple and notes of lemon and lime. This wine has a nice bright acidity contributing to a fresh fruit profile and a refined and lengthy finish. Enjoy now through 2020.

The Process: Fruit for the 2013 vintage came from 5 individual vineyards: King Estate (35%), Annala Vineyards (25%), Pfeiffer (20%), Oster Vineyard (10%), and Goschie Farms (10%). Once hand harvested from these terrific sites, the fruit was transported to our facility before being hand sorted and fermented in stainless steel. The individual lots were allowed to age sur lie in stainless steel for 7 months before the final blend was decided upon.

Vintage Notes: The 2013 growing season began with a warm spring which allowed early growth to progress nicely. Budbreak and bloom occurred ahead of the area average and the pleasant spring progressed into a sunny and mild summer. Near ideal conditions for most of the summer allowed vine growth and grape development to progress rapidly. Brief rainfall in August dissipated quickly and the weather remained superb until late September when harvest was temporarily halted due to heavy rains. Prior to September rains, the long summer allowed grapes to ripen nicely on the vine, and after the rain subsided, warm, Indian summer weather took us through the remainder of harvest.