Shenandoah Vlly Wine-Washington Street Purveyors - St Innocent Wines

Washington Street Purveyors Premium Tasting - St Innocent Winery Thursday, October 9th, 2008

SAVE THE DATE!! Thursday - October 9th During the summer, we floated out to you the idea of holding a premium or higher-end wine tasting after regular business hours.  There would be a fee, and tasty snacks would be available.  The response to this idea was very enthusiastic, but hectic summer schedules prevented working it in.   Well, summer is over.  And on Thursday, October 9th, we will be featuring the wines from St. Innocent.  Our friend Stan Davis from Roanoke Valley Wine Company will be on hand to introduce the wines and answer your questions.   HISTORY:  St. Innocent Winery was founded in May 1988 by Mark Vlossak, the current winemaker and president, and eight investors. Ten tons of grapes were crushed the first fall, producing 396 cases of still and 176 cases of sparkling wine. Production increased to full capacity of 6800 cases in 2004. The winery is located in Salem, Oregon, at the southeast corner of the Eola Hills, in the mid-Willamette valley.   St. Innocent produces small lot, handmade wines: seven single vineyard Pinot noirs and a blended Pinot noir called the Villages Cuvée, two Chardonnay from Dijon clone plantings, two Pinot Gris, and a Pinot Blanc.   The winery works with 8 different growers, leasing specific blocks of vineyard to produce terroir-specific wines. Unique sites produce grapes that have a concentration of flavor reflective of the site-based terroir. Maintaining a close working relationship with its growers allows a collaborative fine-tuning of viticultural techniques in order to focus these flavors and aromas in the wines.   The philosophy behind the winemaking at St Innocent is that the function of wine is to complement and extend the pleasure of a meal. The characteristics of a wine should enhance different food and flavor combinations - this interaction amplifies the pleasure of a meal. To this end, St. Innocent wines tend toward higher acid levels, and more diverse and balanced flavors.   The LINE UP:   St Innocent 2007 Pinot Gris Vitae Springs Vineyard St Innocent 2007 Pinot Blanc Freedom Hill Vineyard St Innocent 2006 Pinot Noir Seven Springs Vineyard St Innocent 2006 Pinot Noir White Rose Vineyard St Innocent 2006 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard St Innocent 2005 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard   2006 HARVEST REPORT:  "Bloom was slightly early, about June 19th amidst lovely weather. Fruit set was good and the crop would require thinning which occurred in early August. The summer was mostly dry (again) and by mid-September the younger vines were showing signs of water stress. Rain events in September gave some relief to the water problems, but the youngest vines were in areas that missed most of the shower activity. The last 10 days of September were warmer than usual, very sunny, and with low humidity. This added to the stress producing significant dehydration in the younger vines. Harvest began in late September with excellent fruit maturity. We finished eight days later with a record harvest of 130 tons. An additional 10 tons were harvested top make with for our partners in Zenith Vineyard to market under their own label. The water stress required some rehydration measures and acid additions to the fruit from younger vines, while the oldest vines managed well. The overall vintage character is a rich and forward fruit with ripe supporting tannins and full crops. We will have a bit more wine to sell in 2008 (when most of the '06's are released). Good quality and good quantity are about as good a report as I can give and 2006 certainly delivered."  Mark Vlossak, Winemaker, St Innocent Winery   You might want to know that this is the end of the road for Seven Springs, as it is under a 15 year lease to a California wine company who will strip the wine of its beauty and put in all heavy toasted wood and taste like toasted coconuts.   DETAILS:  Tasting will be held after-hours at 7pm.    The fee is $30 and includes snacks AND a new Riedel wine glass.   Reservations are required.  E-mail me at csmith@gopherwine.com to save your spot.   Special discounts will be applied to purchases this evening.

I am looking forward to this special event.  We've been carrying the St. Innocent wines for ten years after Roanoke Valley Wine started representing them.  They are very consistent, delicious, and ageworthy.  Please join us for this opportunity to taste some extraordinary wines.   Santé!