reedom Hill Vineyard is located in the foothills of the coast range 10 miles southwest of Salem, Oregon. The Chardonnay blocks have a southeast exposure at an elevation of 425' and benefit from heat rising off the valley floor. Hills to the east protect the vines from strong coastal winds. The vines were planted in 1999 and 2006 with Dijon clones 76 and 548 on well drained silty clay loam.
The 2017 Pinot noir, Villages Cuvée has robust sweet spice aromas with lovely black cherry, smoky berry and dark rose notes. Juicy and pungent flavors of dark cherry, wild strawberry, allspice, cinnamon with a touch of smoke fill your mouth. Beautifully balanced with soft tannins and fresh acidity, the finish slowly fades into supple dried fruit and spices. Still young now the wine will fill out through the winter and into the spring.
This is a complex wine that reflects the heat of the afternoon sun, the cool, windy evenings, and the rustic soils of the McMinnville hills while retaining the dark beauty of its intense, ripe fruit. It is aromatically complex with layers of blue and black fruit, dark flowers, roasted Indian spices with hints of coffee and cocoa powder. In the mouth the dense blue/black fruit flavors and roasted eastern spice notes are layered with rich peaty, peppery flavors. Texturally broad, its flavors layer over your tongue and palate. Ample ripe tannins balance with its acidity into a finish that integrates both its dark, wild fruit and nuanced spices. This is the most Umami of my wines. Given its density and the ripeness of fruit in all our 2012 Pinot noirs, it is accessible now and will further integrate over the next 1-4 years.
Temperance Hill Vineyard is located in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA formed by an ancient volcanic uplift ten miles northwest of Salem, Oregon. The Pinot noir grapes come from two blocks in the eastern edge of the vineyard that were planted in 1984 and 1995 on thin weathered basalt at an average elevation of 720'.
St. Innocent began producing wines from this site in 1989 when it was known as O'Connor Vineyard. We produced vineyard designated O'Connor Pinot noir for ten years, ending in 1998 when the vineyard was leased to Willamette Valley Vineyards. One of our customers, Tim and Kari Ramey purchased the vineyard in 2002. In early 2006, St. Innocent purchased a membership interest in the LLC and Zenith Vineyard, LLC and St. Innocent agreed to build a joint building. One part of the new facility would be an Event Center owned by Zenith and managed by Kari Ramey. The other part would be a new winery owned and operated by St. Innocent Winery. The winery portion was completed just in time for the 2007 harvest. The Event Center began operation in March 2008.