2021 Growing Season:

It was a dramatic year, kicking off with rain at flowering followed by a weekend heat event in June that set all-time records, and a warm, dry summer. Our mature vines handled the warm and dry conditions extremely well, but due to the June rains, yields were only about 80% of normal. In early September we saw the Valley’s first significant rain in 95 days. The majority of the Pinot noir was only about 21-22 brix going into the rain, with overly high acids, so clearly, they needed more hang time. The vines responded to the water by shifting into overdrive and with the benefit of rain invigorating the vines’ metabolism, ripeness and flavors leapt ahead. I am excited about the quality of the Pinot Noir this year. I see beautiful balance, freshness, aromatics and flavors and soft tannins which makes the wines more approachable early on with less cellaring needed. Beautiful!

2,200 Cases Produced

2020 Growing Season:

Winemaking gets tested in some years, like 2020. All the climate and grape-growing underpinnings for greatness were there, with little rain and sufficient but not overpowering heat. The test for wineries in 2020 was not weather but wildfire. Depending on where the grapes were grown relative to the fires and their smoke, varying degrees of impact affected aromas, flavors and textures. As a result of winemaking methods, pick date and site, our wines were unaffected. White wines pressed immediately were unscathed if made well, while red wines benefited from a lighter touch in extraction. How good 2020 will be—with a close-to-perfect growing season and concentrated fruit from low yields—may depend on how a complex wisp of campfire is eliminated, or if not, embraced. Grape-growing is farming after all, and winemaking sometimes an attempt at alchemy.

1,800 Cases Produced

2019 Growing Season:

This harvest has been what I would call a “classic” Willamette Valley vintage. We did benefit from a relatively early spring which allowed for plenty of hang time which resulted in phenolic ripeness in the Pinot noir giving us balanced fruit that comes from a longer growing season. Although Fall rain did arrive sooner than normal this year, the fruit still reached the desired Brix levels. We took active steps to mitigate mold and mildew development such as field sorting and leaf pulling to open airflow. We started harvesting our grapes late in September, while there was some off and on rain the temperatures remained cool and this kept the fruit firm and we were able to pick fruit of the highest quality from our estate vineyard. I expect the 2019 vintage will produce some outstanding wines.

2,550 Cases Produced

2018 Growing Season:

Late bud break due to a slightly wet and cooler April in 2018 led to a slightly later than normal flowering setting us up for a later than usual harvest. There were enormous amounts of yellow jackets, which points to a mild winter with temperatures not cold enough to keep the insect populations down. In total, it was a warmer than average vintage, temperatures stayed in the low to mid 90s with few heat spikes, making for a balanced year with less widespread heat stress like in years’ prior, especially 2017. Low rainfall during Autumn allowed us to easily manage harvest, picking grapes when we wanted to, instead of dodging rain or having to pull fruit early. When moderately warm days occur along with cool nights, vines can rest in the evening and concentrate efforts on developing more fruit complexity and flavors. Ideal conditions like this occurred here in 2018.

2,600 Cases Produced

2017 Growing Season:

This season was completely different from the previous three all of which started and ended early. In 2017 we experienced a cool, wet Spring resulting in a late June flowering. Hot, dry conditions dominated over the Summer. In spite of aggressive cluster thinning we enjoyed a record harvest due to ideal fruit set conditions. We started our harvest later than recent vintages on September 30 and finished here on October 8. In addition to fresh fruit aromas and flavors these wines demonstrate a certain balance and complexity typical of an extended growing season.

3,000 Cases Produced

2016 Growing Season:

Bud break was early once again in 2016, a continuing pattern that began here in 2013. A short heat spell at bloom shortened the flowering period resulting in a smaller fruit set here at Utopia. Summer provided average conditions with fewer heat spikes than 2014 or 2015 vintages which led to smaller berry size and higher concentration of flavors. Warmer than normal conditions in August marshalled along the early vintage and saw harvest end here on September 9th. The 2016 vintage saw near perfect fruit with no signs of disease or bird damage and will truly result in another stellar vintage the likes of 2012.

2,400 Cases Produced

2015 Growing Season:

To recap - a very early, hot growing season but thankfully a cooler final ripening at the very end. We had immaculately clean fruit, bountiful yields with moderate alcohol levels. Despite being slightly different from 2014 in the early growing season the final effect was the same, with big heat, big crop and big expectations. We see the same color, beautiful fruit concentration and suppleness as we saw in 2014. Whites again are fully ripe, texturally rich and yet balanced. If you like the 2014's then you are sure to love the 2015's!

1,425 Cases Produced

2014 Growing Season:

What I will remember most for 2014 is the hottest growing year on record. We use “cumulative degree days” to track the total amount of heat in any given year. We broke the prior record by nearly a month in 2014. We knew this season was going to give us some potentially high sugars, so we left a little heavier crop load on, By leaving more on, you give the plant a job to do so it’s not as greedily making sugar in a very few number of clusters. People are going to get a little power in their pinot this year and folks who enjoy that style are going to love them as those warm temperatures will translate into lush and powerful Pinot Noir.

1,375 Cases Produced

2013 Growing Season:

The vintage began with an early bud break (earliest start since 1992) and a long, warm (not too hot) summer which led to gradual and even ripening, albeit with lower yields as we thinned aggressively early on (as always) to insure high quality fruit. This and the extended summer had us further along than usual and we began harvesting our grapes in our Estate vineyard on September 19 and finished on the 20th just ahead of the heavy rains (up to 5 inches within a few days) that dominated the weather during the last week of September.2013 will be another unique vintage for Oregon to celebrate with many great wines produced.

1,032 Cases Produced

2012 Growing Season:

The 2012 growing season got off to a slow start here with bud break occurring about April 23rd, or a week later than normal. A freak hail storm on Memorial weekend took out some of the berries in our estate vineyard, but, weather during bloom was warm and dry. A reduced fruit set and necrosis in some of the berries led to smaller, more open clusters and lower that average yields, but, allowed for very full and even ripening of the fruit. The remarkable growing season of 2012 (best since 2008) resulted in very clean fruit with intense colors and concentrated flavors.

984 Cases Produced

2011 Growing Season

The 2011 Growing Season started even later than 2010 and for the next four months, the 2011 vintage looked like a disaster waiting to happen. The vines produced unusually large clusters and it didn’t look as if conditions would ever get warm enough to ripen them. It was, in the end, the latest vintage in Oregon history. We didn’t pick until October 28th at Utopia.

Although it was rainy in early October we were saved by an Indian Summer. We brought in our grapes under warm, sunny conditions and not only did the late fall weather save the vintage, but, it compared favorably with any vintage of the past 10 years, including 2008. Early press results are showing beautiful color, texture, elegance and depth in the wines and I am very excited about the potential of the 2011 vintage to be one of our best yet.

1,061 Cases Produced

2010 Growing Season

2010 was the coldest growing season since Utopia Vineyard was established in 2002. In fact, it was the coldest vintage on record in the Willamette Valley. Late vintages like 2010, however, can produce the most intriguing wines. We were blessed with a marvelously sunny and dry October which brought us back from what could have been a disaster to a harvest of joy!

In 2009, by late September, in the hottest vintage on record, we had already finished harvesting all of our Pinot Noir fruit. This coolest of years resulted in our latest harvest date yet, October 22nd. What’s slightly disturbing is the realization that we have averaged (at most) only two tons per acre, down 20 – 30 percent from previous vintages. It’s only slightly disturbing because the initial fruit samples have been truly exhilarating to taste. They exhibit dark color, bright fresh aromas of red and black cherries, and raspberries. In the end, this wine may prove to be the silver lining of the 2010 growing season.

850 Cases Produced

2009 Growing Season

Spring blossomed early in 2009, with splendid warmth that boosted the vines into an early bud break. Summer was consistently warm, with only occasional rain until the heat returned in July in earnest, registering record highs. Early August brought cooler weather, with some rain followed by sun. Labor Day produced a late summer heat wave that pushed temperatures back into the 90′s. The harvest began early in one part of the vineyard, as we hurried to deal with the heat and dehydration of the younger blocks. This small percentage of our harvest from the younger vines yielded pleasant wines with dark color and good acid. As a result, the 2009 vintage has the potential to become one of the finest yet from our relatively young vineyard.

As the growing season progressed, cooler weather returned along with blue skies which allowed for a longer “hang time” under ideal conditions for our older vines. The wines produced from these blocks are exceedingly dark and intense with vibrant aromas and flavors and good acidity. It was this fruit that was chosen for our first ever Estate Reserve bottling, which we call Paradise. It was a long harvest and the results can be tasted in the wines, which exhibit grace, striking balance, and softness. Smashing!

780 Cases Produced

2008 Growing Season

The 2008 growing season began with a very cool spring with late flowering which resulted in a 15% – 20% smaller than average crop yield. The cool spring was followed by a fabulously warm summer that allowed the fruit to “catch up” as it began to ripen. As fall approached, we were holding our breath and hoping for an Indian Summer to help the fruit ripen before harvest. Fortunately, October produced only light rains with plenty of warm days to fully ripen the fruit. This, combined with the additional “hang time” resulted in the production of our best fruit to date.

We harvested on October 15th. The 2008 harvest was worth celebrating because it featured the first fruit from our 2005 secondary planting (3rd leaf) comprised of heirloom clones from Archery Summit and Shea vineyards of Oregon, as well as the Calera vineyard of California. These cuttings were
taken from 50 year old vines from these well established vineyards. We’re very excited to incorporate them into our wine.

693 Cases Produced

2007 Growing Season

The 2007 vintage year began with warm weather and good flowering, but then became cool and cloudy in July and August with below average temperatures. The humidity was higher than normal for this time of year, creating mildew infection pressure on the vineyard. Our crews had to work very hard to keep the fruit clean and unspoiled.

As we made final preparations for harvest, we were faced with more cool temperatures. Near the end of September, meteorologists predicted heavy rains that were expected to continue for as long as ten days. Based on that forecast, we decided to take advantage of a break in the rain. Our harvest on Monday morning, October 1st produced 10 tons of very clean fruit. Fortunately, the Utopia Vineyard is on a warmer site than many of the surrounding vineyards. As a result, the fruit ripened a week or two earlier than most, which allowed us to harvest when we did.

586 Cases Produced

2006 Growing Season

Although we picked a small amount of fruit and made a token amount of wine in 2005, for all practical purposes, the 2006 vintage was our first commercial vintage. The 2006 Harvest took place on September 29th. We were fortunate that the conditions were nearly ideal. Utopia was not alone, in that most vineyards in the Willamette Valley enjoyed higher than normal yields. Even after thinning, reducing the total amount of fruit by thirty to forty percent, the Utopia vineyard still produced a whopping nine tons of ripe fruit, all of it exhibiting beautiful color and lovely aromatics. Just as in our modest 2005 harvest, all of the 2006 fruit came from the original four acre Estate planting of Dijon and Pommard clones. Even in its infancy, our entire vineyard was dry farmed by hand using organic farming methods.

The magnificent bounty of the 2006 harvest provided us with enough fruit to separate the different clones for the first time. We had the luxury of working with separate barrels of Pommard, Swan, and Wadensville clones, along with a blend of 667, 777, and 115. We were particularly fortunate to have an abundance of Pommard juice, so we added some of it back into the Dijon blend, creating an early marriage of these flavors in the small lot fermentation tanks. As we closed the book on the 2006 season, we looked ahead to the 2008 vintage, when our secondary planting of old vines would begin producing fruit. The Estate Vineyard, from 2008 on, will have eleven different clone and root stock combinations. These include heirloom clones from Archery Summit, Shea, and Calera’s Mt. Harlan vineyards which were bench grafted in the nursery and planted in the fall of 2005. This range of clones produces “maximum clonal diversity,” one important factor in the production of a more complex wine.

The 2006 Utopia Estate Pinot Noir was big and well structured upon release, and, over time, has proven to be a delicious, well balanced wine.

413 Cases Produced.