The Wine
Wines in the "Estates" series are comprised of grapes grown entirely from our Estate holdings, which includes but is no longer limited to our flagship property, Mineral Springs Ranch. With recent property adquisitions, and the prefection of long-term leases and grape contracts, we can now rely on secure, "Estate" controlled sourcing for all the wines that carry the Soter name. The vineyard blends for these holdings is not formulaic and will vary depending on ripeness, yields, quality and the flavor profile of each site.
The Vintage
The 2021 vintage had all the ingredients to make incredible wines: hot and dry weather, modest yields, and low disease pressure, critical in our consistently damp prowing region. Oregon broke records when i June, a normally wet and fickle month, brought a heat dome to the estate blanketing the Willamette Valley in extreme temperatures. And all before there were even grapes on the vines ! The trend continued throughout summer and finally cooled off in October, allowing the grapes vital hang-time to develop complex, mature tannins. The Pinot noirs from this vintage are darkly colored and concentrated, with flavors of marionberry and blueberry. Delicate aromatics lift out of the glass and tease of violets and herbs. Expect these wines to age gorgeously.
Vineyard/Appelation
20% Tarren Vineyard, Eola-Amity-Hills, certified Organic CCOF
50% Ribbon Ridge Estate Vineyard, certified organic CCOF
30% Mineral Springs Vineyard, Yamhill-Carlton, certified Biodinamic.
Winemaking
3,175 cases
30% new oak
20% whole cluster fermentation
aged 10 months in barrel.
Tasting notes
Aromas of red cherry, wild blueberry and violets. Primary flavors of marionberry, bing cherry and red plum; secondary flavors of cedar shavings and black pepper and a spicy and concentrated finish.