Feedback on the 2007 growing season from Oregon
http://oregonwinepress.com/index.php?pr=1207_02_Harvest
excerpt:
“I would say, since I came on board in 2002, that 2005 was the best looking fruit I’ve seen as far as chemistry and flavor go, and this year is as good as, if not better, than 2005, especially with respect to the fruit that typically ripens early—the Tempranillo, Albariño.
“If you look at heat summation data from the first of June to about the middle of September, heat accumulation was nearly identical to 2005. What that has meant for us is that we have had weather that was optimal for enzymatic activity in the grapevine, which means phenological and physiological ripeness in the fruit, but it was not so hot that the sugar accumulation outpaced the ripening schedule. So we got beautifully ripe flavors but at generally lower sugars and higher acids, which is what every winemaker wants. In fact, the Tempranillo, Albariño, Viognier, and Malbec are phenomenal and the Syrah and Dolcetto are exceptional.
“I’ve been very happily surprised at the Port varietals, Graciano and Merlot. Not that I’m literally surprised, but my impressions and expectations after sampling, walking the rows and tasting the fruit prior to harvest were far surpassed by the wines during fermentation and as they went to barrel.
“It’s been a serious crunch this year but I’ll take another 30 vintages of this if it means this kind of quality.”
-Kiley Evans, WINEMAKER • Abacela Winery, Roseburg