2008 Glass is SOLD OUT. Next release: May 2010.

The Cliff Notes: In glass it’s the pale silvery pink of Champagne lingerie. The nose screams citrus and musk in the manner of flowering lime trees. On the palate the surprising and lip-tingling acidity of mouth-watering sherbet is pulled by a harnessed team of lemons and limes for a cool eternity into your warm summer night.

Cases Produced: 415

Vintage: 2008 as a vintage was cooler and late hanging until the nice ripening kiss of an Indian summer. It’s the setup and blessing that hones the knife edge in a cool-climate Pinot noir region, whether producing reds in Oregon or Blanc de Noirs in Champagne. Those on their game in the vineyard were rewarded with long ripening flavor development and preservation of acidity, elements critical to producing exceptional “white from reds.” May we present our argument for the importance of wine texture, our claim for color not being a flavor and our case for a case, to quench your thirst this summer.

The building of: 100% Pinot noir -- Whole cluster pressed and 100% barrel fermented to absolute dry utilizing a long, slow, low-temperature, wild-yeast regimen to promote vineyard characters and preserve fleeting fruit esters. 100% barrel aged in older French oak barrels. Aged utilizing lees addition and incorporating Champagne methodologies from 100 years ago to strip color and broaden an earthy mid-palate, similar to a rose? Champagne from that era…without the bubbles. Racked once and filtered prior to bottling February 2009.

Alcohol: 12.75%

pH: 3.18

Vineyards: These Pinot Noir grapes came from Temperance Hill’s 28-year-old Flat Block, Shepherd Vineyards, and Momtazi Vineyard.