Hyland Estates Old Vine Gewurztraminer 2013
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Hyland Vineyard began planting in 1971 by four pioneering friends with own-rooted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling & Gewurztraminer that now totals 185 acres. Located in the McMinnville AVA of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Hyland Vineyard is the largest contiguous and second oldest single vineyard site in Oregon. The Hyland Vineyard is LIVE Certified Sustainable. The LIVE Certified Sustainable Wine logo on a bottle is your assurance of sustainably produced, authentic Northwest wine.
In 2007, the property changed hands to new caretakers led by Laurent Montalieu who felt that this vineyard had to be left wild and untamed. He wanted the land to speak in its own voice, adopting a "land not hand" philosophy. The block, the elevation, the growing season and the individual expression of every vine is present in the glass. Quiet and self-sufficient, the vines produce a textually mature, high-concentrated juice that come with decades of establishing oneself firmly into the land. This is Hyland Estates.
Home to some of America’s most celebrated Pinot Noir, Oregon maintains a tight focus on small production, high quality wine even while the state’s industry enjoys steady growth. As a world-renowned wine region, Oregon has more than 700 wineries and is home to well over 70 grape varieties. With a mostly Mediterranean climate, its cooler and wetter regions lie in the west, close to the Pacific Coast.
By far the most reputed Oregon wine region is the Willamette Valley, which is further subdivided into six smaller appellations: Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge and Yamhill-Carlton.
The Oregon wine region's most obvious success story is with Pinot Noir, which here takes on a personality that could be described in general terms as somewhere in between the wines of California and Burgundy—and is often more affordable than either one. The best Willamette Pinot noir has a rare combination of red and black fruit, elegant balance, high acidity and rustic earth. While completely enjoyable in their youth, some of the better, single vineyard or appellation-specific Pinot noirs can often benefit from some cellar time.
Other AVAs in Oregon’s west worth noting include Umpqua Valley and Rogue Valley.
In the east are Snake River Valley, which overlaps into Idaho, and Columbia Valley, which Oregon shares with Washington. Summers are hot and dry in these regions but winters are cold and rainy.
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot blanc also grow successfully in Oregon.
Gewürztraminer, an expressive and aromatically distinctive white grape variety, is considered a noble variety in the Alsace region of France, and produces wonderful wines in the mountainous Alto Adige region of NE Italy. Generally this grape grows well in cooler regions and its natural intensity makes it a great ally for flavorful cuisine such as Indian, Middle Eastern or Moroccan. Somm Secret—Because of a charming perfume and tendency towards slight sweetness, Gewürztraminer makes for an excellent gateway wine for those who love sweet wines but want to venture into the realm of drier whites.