walter scott current releases
Pinot Noir
The red wines at Walter Scott are de-stemmed - typically 100%. Of course there are always exceptions - sometimes up to 15% whole bunches are added in the center of the fermenter. Fermentation kicks off naturally with indigenous yeasts. Ferments are done in two ton lots. The wines are mostly pumped over, with some gentle pigeage at the heart of fermentation to manage structure and texture. After fermentation, the wines are pressed off, settled, and put to barrel. 30-40% of the barrels are new and all are from French cooperages. The length of time in barrel varies, with the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir staying in barrel for around 10 months and the single vineyards staying in barrel for around 15 months. The wines are racked once in July to harmonize the blends.
Pinot Noir `Cuvee Ruth` Willamette Valley
Cuvée Ruth is a wine dedicated to the memory of Ruth and Irv Kantor, Ken and Erica's partner Sue's parents. This wine is a thoughtful selection of some of their favorite barrels in the winery. The Pinot Noir is a blend of clones from some of our top vineyards including Freedom Hill, Clos de Oiseaux, Bieze and Eola Springs Vineyards. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, 30% of which are new. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.
Pinot Noir Clos des Oiseaux
In 2011 Ken and Erica began leasing a beautiful 2.8 acre vineyard on the southeastern slope of the Eola-Amity Hills and began a journey with this special piece of land. Today, the land is owned by Kecia & John Keller, who upon falling in love with the site, purchased it and moved back to Oregon in the Fall of 2013. As of the 2014 growing year the vineyard is organically farmed without irrigation, with Kecia overseeing the farming. Fermentation is done with ambient yeasts, 20% whole cluster and then aged for 15 months in 40% new French oak barrels.
Pinot Noir Freedom Hill
In 2012 Ken and Erica started getting grapes from the iconic Freedom Hill Vineyard, which Ken had worked with through St. Innocent for over 10 years. The vineyard was planted in 1982 by Dan and Helen Dusschee who own and farm the vineyard sustainably with their son Dustin. Located in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range, the Freedom Hill Vineyard is planted on Bellpine loam soils. The soils coupled with meticulous farming, create consistent, structured and powerful wines. Fermentation is done with ambient yeasts, 15% whole cluster and then aged for 15 months in 35% new French oak barrels.
Pinot Noir Seven Springs
Widely considered one of the best vineyards in the Willamette Valley. Ken and Erica were honored to be selected to work with fruit from this famed vineyard, one of only a few wineries in the valley thanks to Rajat Parr of Evening Land Vineyards who believes in what they are doing.
Walter Scott sources one acre from the original 1984 plantings of un-grafted Pinot Noir vines found in the lower half of the vineyard. Fermentation is done with ambient yeasts, 20% whole cluster and then aged for 15 months in barrel, of which 35% is new.
Pinot Noir `Sojourner Vineyard` Eola-Amity Hills
On the southern end of the Eola-Amity Hills, facing west towards the coast range sits the Sojourner Vineyard. At 650 feet in elevation, the site overlooks the valley and surrounding vineyards. After over 30 years with Eola Springs Vineyard, Dennis and Thelma Peseau found the Sojourner property and developed it into an incredible 16 acres planted to three clones of Pinot Noir: Dijon 115, Pommard and Wadenswill and 3.26 acres of Chardonnay. The soils are a rocky, volcanic clay with lots of round stones littered throughout.
Fermentation is done with ambient yeasts, 30% whole cluster and then aged for 15 months in 35% new French oak barrels.
Pinot Noir `Dumb Ox` Eola-Amity Hills
In the heart of the Eola Springs Vineyard is a single block of un-grafted Pommard clone Pinot Noir. The block, nicknamed Dumb Ox, was named after Thomas Aquinas, a theologian philosopher known for being both brilliant and enigmatic, just like the Pinot Noir from this block. The vineyard faces south and is located on the western slope of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. The block itself sits on a ribbon of marine sediment that runs through this site, rare for the Eola-Amity Hills.
The wine is fermented with indigenous yeast, aged in 35% new oak and is not filtered or fined prior to bottling.
Chardonnay
The white wines at Walter Scott are all whole cluster pressed and after settling go straight to barrel with substantial lees. Everything is barrel fermented with indigenous yeast. The range of new oak barrels is around 40%. The wines are stirred minimally and 100% malo is achieved. The wines remain aging in barrel for 11 months before finishing in stainless steel.
Willamette Valley Chardonnay la Combe Verte
The youngest vines of all the Chardonnay sites Ken and Erica work with go into this.
Chardonnay `Cuvee Anne`
The Cuvée Anne Chardonnay is blended from Ken and Erica's best Chardonnay sites, including Freedom Hill, X Novo, Sojourner and Vojtilla Vineyards. It is a reserve blend that represents their vision of Willamette Valley Chardonnay.
The juice was fermented with ambient yeast, minimal bâtonnage and aged in a mix of new and neutral 500 & 350 liter barrels for 12 months. The wine is finally racked and blended to stainless steel for an additional 3 months prior to bottling.
Chardonnay `Freedom Hill`
The Dusschee Family has been growing Chardonnay longer than most, putting lots of care into growing the best fruit possible since 1981. In 2012 Ken and Erica were lucky enough to start working with their fruit, getting access to one acre of Chardonnay and one acre of Pinot Noir. Today they now get three separate blocks of Chardonnay and three blocks of Pinot Noir in an effort to diversify the clones and blocks for co-fermentation. The site is now farmed by second generation Dustin Duscchee who is farming sustainably without irrigation, and is now moving towards organic.
The wine is fermented with ambient yeast and minimal bâtonnage. It is aged in a new 500L puncheon, a once-filled puncheon and neutral puncheon for 12 months. The wine is racked and blended to stainless steel for an additional 3 months prior to bottling.
Chardonnay `Vojtilla Vineyard` Chehalem Mountains
This little vineyard nestled in the Chehalem Mountains, was meticulously planted in 1990 to a plethora of varietals, but the Pinot Noir & Chardonnay have caught the attention of winemakers. The vineyard has a Southeast exposure, sliding down Ladd Hill on a gentle slope, and is so tidy that you feel as if you should take your shoes off to walk in it.
Chardonnay `X Novo Vineyard` Eola-Amity Hills
In 2010 famed California Cabernet Winemaker, Craig Williams came to Oregon and purchased a few pieces of land and began planting vineyards. What he did would turn heads as he took an incredible site, facing east in the Eola-Amity Hills, and planted it to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. (But that's not what got people talking.) The clonal selection that he planted was the special part. The Chardonnay block that Ken and Erica work with is planted to fifteen different clones of Chardonnay. It is one of the most unique sites in Oregon, if not the West Coast.
This wine is fermented with ambient yeast and minimal bâtonnage. It is aged in a mix of new and neutral 500 & 350 liter barrels for 12 months. The wine is racked and blended to stainless steel for an additional 3 months prior to bottling.