The video above is from Jessie James Vineyard high up in Eola Amity Hills. If you look closely you can see the vineyard workers running down the rows. They are holding twenty pounds in each hand as they run…exhausting. I’m the one in the red shirt on the trailer being precious with my decisions about which grapes make the cut. I no longer get fruit from Jessie James but I have fond memories of working with the fruit and continue to love the wines from that site.
I started out making two wines: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Over time, the project has evolved and the focus more recently has been on working with unique Pinot Noir sites within the Willamette Valley while seeking out less common white varietals to work with each year. The Retina Pinot Noirs made each vintage are what I believe to be honest expressions of the varietal that perform well above their moderate price point. Wines in the single-vineyard series are often even smaller production and focus on vineyards/vintages that I believe to be extraordinary for their quality or individual expression.
2015 Johnson Vineyard Chardonnay (Library)
The 2015 Johnson Vineyard Chardonnay comes from the certified-organic Johnson Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Eric Lemelson owns the vineyard, having purchased it from the Johnson family, who famously farm grass seed across the Willamette Valley. I’ve worked with Johnson Vineyard for years and have come to believe in its potential as a great Chardonnay site.
Tasting Notes
The 2015 Johnson Vineyard Chardonnay was on the very earliest side of harvest to avoid the excessively tropical characteristics of clone 76 Chardonnay. The flinty nose still tends towards pineapple, but I prefer to call it (and think about it) as chamomile and Meyer lemon. With time in glass, more Chardonnay-ey notes of nutmeg and (very subtle) vanilla bean emerge. The palate is racy in its youth: electric and pure with hints of the power that it will have in a year or two in bottle. You can feel the potential in this wine and, if I were to (hopefully intelligently) guess, this wine will be beautiful in 3 years and will begin to show aged Chablis–like nuance in 5-10 years.
The Art
Human cerebral cortex by Albert von Kölliker in 1893
The Details
Vineyard: Johnson Vineyard
AVA: Yamhill-Carlton
Clones: Dijon 76
Harvested September 5, 2015
Brix at harvest = 20.9
14 months in 20% new French oak (Damy) combined with neutral Chenin barrels
Alc. 13%
97 cases produced
2018 Retina Pinot Noir
The 2018 Retina Pinot noir blends fruit from Bellevue Cross (38%) and Dupee Valley (25%) vineyards in the McMinnville AVA and Temperance Hill Vineyard (37%) in Eola-Amity Hills.
Tasting Notes
In youth, this reminds me of the 2016 in its early days in bottle – shy but ready to uncoil, releasing deep fruit and spice. Bellevue Cross is the new linchpin; with 30 year-old, own-rooted 115 lending strawberry, raspberry, and a salty minerality to the wine’s fresh sourdough, fennel pollen and balsam notes. Temperance Hill, made with 30% whole cluster, adds cherry, herbs, and spice. The palate has a lovely, juicy core that drives long and down the center of the tongue with blood orange and broad, stony tannins. Give this time and it will reward you.
The Art
Human retinal ganglion cells as drawn by Alexander Dogiel in 1891
The Details
Vineyards: Bellevue Cross, Temperance Hill and Dupee Valley
AVA: Willamette Valley
Clones: Dijon 115 and Dijon “mix” (at Temperance)
Harvested September 29th – October 7th, 2018
Brix at harvest = 23.7
15% whole cluster
15 months in 25% new French barrels
Alc. 13.9%
197 cases produced
Looking for Past-Vintage wines?
Notes on our sold-out, past-vintage wines are available for you to view. We sometimes have small quantities of these wines in our cellar; please email for availability.
