2018 VINTAGE FALL RELEASESLimited quantities due to yieldsDue to the yields of the 2018 vintage, these wines are much more limited than in years past as we made almost half as much. These wines will go quickly as they have become a holiday staple for many.
For those of you who will not be able to join the release party on August 31st, we will happily put aside or ship you these wines. Here are the details on the upcoming releases, and a link to purchase the wines.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions regarding these wines!
- The La Combe Verte’s
Famed Burgundy importer Becky Wasserman was once quoted in Wine Spectator saying, “You can always judge a great Domaine by the quality of their Bourgogne bottling.” These are words we LIVE by. At Walter Scott, we put the same care and attention to detail in our two Willamette Valley wines as we do our single vineyard selections. The La Combe Verte bottlings are the foundation for every choice we make in the winery, directly reflecting our reputation, philosophy, and lifestyle.
La Combe Verte translates to The Green Fault or The Green Valley. This phrase is a tribute both to the incredible Willamette Valley in which we are lucky to produce wine and the amazing team at Patricia Green Cellars, whom without their support, we would never have been able to start Walter Scott. Essentially, it is Patricia Green Cellar’s “fault” that we were able to start this project.
2018 Chardonnay, La Combe Verte, Willamette Valley
800 cases produced
$28.00
We believe in Willamette Valley Chardonnay. This classic varietal has an important place in our region and at Walter Scott, not in the replication of other inspirational regions, but in its own distinctive style, with its own compelling voice. Chardonnay is a grape which is able to translate our unique geology in the same way Pinot noir can. Through thoughtful farming and cellar practices, we strive to allow Chardonnay to reach its powerful Willamette Valley potential.
Our approach to Chardonnay pays attention to texture and structure, translating site and vintage. The La Combe Verte is fermented with 100% ambient yeast and full malolactic conversion in large barrels with very little bâtonnage. The wine is lightly fined and filtered prior to bottling to brighten aromatics and give us a polished finish. The result is an illuminating style of chardonnay, showcasing density and precision. The palate spotlights evolving layers of textures which follow the aromatic notes of lemon blossoms, with the finish offering a subtle mineral and saline character.
Vineyards:
Freedom Hill Vineyard, Willamette Valley AVA Sunset View Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA Duke’s Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA Sojourner Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA X Novo Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA X Ante Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA
Ingredients: 98% Chardonnay / 2% Aligoté from the Willamette Valley, SO2
Malolactic conversion: 100%
Fining & Filtration: Casein & Bentonite, filtered for clarity
French Oak: Fermented and aged in 30% New, 10 months in barrel
ABV: 13%
Residual Sugar: 0 g/l
2018 Pinot Noir, La Combe Verte, Willamette Valley
1000 cases produced
$28.00
The 2018 La Combe Verte is composed from the volcanic Eola-Amity Hills vineyards of Lewman and Sojourner, blended with their north valley counterparts of Sequitur and Red Hills Estate Vineyards. The finishing touch is the old vine fruit from the powerful, marine sedimentary Freedom Hill Vineyard. This Pinot Noir is fermented with ambient yeast and aged in barrel for 10 months.
The resulting wine is a lush and beautiful example of the 2018 vintage, immediately appealing for early drinking, but layered with power and structure giving this wine the ability to age. The inviting nose suggests ripe red & black fruits, summer flowers and warm, earthy spices. The dense fruit, succulent tannins and juicy acidity all come together to produce what we feel is a lovely & balanced example of what the Willamette Valley gave us in 2018.
Vineyards:
Freedom Hill Vineyard, Willamette Valley AVA Red Hills Estate Vineyard, Dundee Hills AVA Sequitur Vineyard, Ribbon Ridge AVA Sojourner Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA Lewman Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA
Ingredients: 100% Pinot Noir grapes from the Willamette Valley, SO2
Malolactic conversion: 100%
Whole cluster: 30%
French Oak: 40% New, 10 months in barrel
ABV: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 0 g/l
The Arlyn Gamay Noir
2018 Walter Scott Gamay Noir, Arlyn Vineyard, Chehalem Mountains
Willamette Valley
190 cases produced
$28.00
At Walter Scott we are huge fans of Gamay Noir as it is expressed in the great wines of Beaujolais. Gamay was planted in Oregon originally in the early 1980’s and has been quietly making some stunning wines in the Willamette Valley ever since.
Our friend Janis Pate shares her 1.3 acres beautiful, biodynamically farmed Arlyn Vineyard with us. The site is tucked in the Chehalem Mountains situated directly across the raveen from the Ribbon Ridge facing west on marine sedimentary soils.
Our goal is purity of fruit, freshness with minerality and subtle structure. Not just a simple fruity Gamay, but one with depth and muscle. To that end, the grapes were fermented dry with 80% whole cluster and ambient yeasts then aged in neutral barrels for 10 months at which point it was bottled without fining or filtration.
The finished wine showcases a nose generous with notes of white pepper, brambley crushed berries, and wet granite. On the pallet the wine is fresh and persistent with medium tannins and balanced acidity, highlighting crunchy black and purple fruit notes, which make the wine immediately appealing.
Ingredients: 100% Gamay Noir grapes from the Willamette Valley, SO2
Malolactic conversion: 100%
Whole cluster: 80%
French Oak: Neutral French Oak, 10 months in barrel
ABV: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 0 g/l
The Cuvée Ruth
2018 Pinot Noir, Cuvée Ruth, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley
400 cases produced
$40.00
Each year we blend this very special wine to reflect the precision and tension of Pinot Noir from the Eola-Amity Hills, while also showing the character of the individual vintage. With the 2018 Cuvée Ruth, we chose a selection of barrels from some of our best vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills to make up this wine, including Seven Springs, Sojourner, Lewman, and making its Walter Scott debut, X Novo Vineyard Pinot Noir
2018 Cuvée Ruth brings elegance to the forefront, showing generous red fruit notes and layered with floral and mineral depth which balance the power that the individual sites famously achieve, giving this wine an overall polish evoked by the blending of the sites. These iconic vineyards are a blend of multiple clones of Pinot Noir and some of our oldest vines, allowing the wine to demonstrate a refined purity associated with classic Eola-Amity Hills. The wine was fermented with ambient yeasts and aged for 10 months in French oak barrels. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Cuvée Ruth is a wine dedicated to the memory of Ruth and Irv Kantor, our partner Sue’s parents, showing tribute to Sue & Andy for helping us to realize our dreams.
Vineyards:
Seven Springs Vineyard, Eola-Amity AVA Sojourner Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA X Novo Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA Lewman Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA
Ingredients: 100% Pinot Noir grapes the Willamette Valley, SO2
Malolactic conversion: 100%
Whole cluster: 30%
French Oak: 40% New, 10 months in barrel
ABV: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 0 g/l