The Cliff Notes: A peach-copper in glass, this wine’s first aromatic impression is watermelon followed by floral lime, Meyer lemon and Maria biscuits. The racy palate delivers lemon-lime, earth, grape and gooseberry on a rail of complex citrus. Slight spritz, grip, and bitter combine on rolling acidity to take it long and quenching into your warm summer evening.

Cases Produced: 546

A Story: 2010 was a cool and late growing year with a crazy small yield. When we brought the grapes in and realized we only had half of what we needed we went back to Temperance Hill not once, but three times, to source/beg/cajole fruit blocks destined for much higher priced bottlings. In retrospect, we probably should have held some of that fruit for some of our regular vintage Pinot for which we are now short. As compensation, we vow to feel plenty of this wine on the back of our throats, on the back of our patios, on the back of our summer evenings, quite likely, on our backs.

The building of: The 100% Pinot noir grapes are 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 and aged using lees addition and stirring, a Champagne methodology from 100 years ago. This process strips color and broadens an earthy mid-palate, similar to a rosé Champagne from that era without the bubbles. Racked once and filtered prior to bottling February 2011.

Alcohol: 13.0%

pH: 3.19

Vineyards: These Pinot Noir grapes came from Temperance Hill’s 30-year-old Flat Block, Rocky Slope, Triangle Block and The Long Rows — four blocks from one of the best organic, old-school, old-vine vineyards in Oregon.