CdT Vineyard Blog

Prince of Pinot Props

2011-01-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

The Prince of Pinot just named both the 2009 Oregon Pinot Noir and 2008 Estate Pinot Noir as a 2010 Value Priced Pinot of the year. Go to his blog to read more as he is really up on Pinots and is a great read. Thanks Rusty! http://www.princeofpinot.com/article/1004/

Wine Spectator Names Oregon Pinot as One of 10 Exciting Oregon Reds

2010-09-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

Wine Spectator's September 3rd article on their website names our 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir as one of the 10 Exciting Oregon Reds. Review is:

COEUR DE TERRE Pinot Noir McMinnville 2008 Score: 89 $20
Smooth and focused, stepping lightly with its black cherry, pomegranate and lime blossom aromas and flavors, lingering easily on the tightly focused finish. Best from 2011 through 2018. 473 cases made. —H.S.

Look it up online as well as some other nice recommendations from our neighbor Maysara. Go McMinnville AVA!

CdT Mentioned In Oregonian

2010-06-13T16:57:00.003-07:00

CdT got a nice shout out in the Oregonian's travel section today. Check it out at WWW.Oregonian.com/travel.

CdT Mentioned In Oregonian

2010-06-13T16:57:00.001-07:00

CdT got a nice shout out in the Oregonian's travel section today. Check it out at WWW.Oregonian.com/travel.

Portland Indie Wine Festival

2010-05-08T14:00:00.001-07:00

We are at the 2010 PIWF pouring OUR 08 Pinots. Come check us out.

How about the hot booth babe?

Think Pink

2010-04-20T15:44:00.001-07:00

Check out the first ever Rose' by CdT. This is a true rose' not just a bleed off and has Pinot, Syrah and a bit of Riesling. Will be released on Memorial Day at winery open house.

Ice, ice, Baby

2010-04-13T16:24:00.001-07:00

Check out the press while we are making our first ever ice wine (assisted by a freezer). Fruit is rockin Hyland Riesling with boytritis. This should be great.

Location : 300-498 Oregon 99W, McMinnville, OR 97128,

Portland Indie Wine Festival

2010-04-06T10:04:00.001-07:00

For the fourth time, CdT is honored to be included in the Indie Wine Festival and we will be pouring our 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir as well as our 2008 Estate Pinot Noir. This is the only festival we go to and In our opinion one of the great events in the Northwest. This event is different because all the wines poured had to be judged in by a great tasting panel. In addition, attendance is limited to just 40 wineries, so the wines are top quality from only those who grow or make the wine, no posers allowed.

For more info and tickets, go to Portland Indie Wine Festival website .

Location : 21000 Eagle Point Rd, McMinnville, OR 97128,

Location : 12900-12970 SW Masonville Rd, McMinnville, OR 97128,

Willamette Valley Wineries Block Party - Seattle!

2010-01-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

CdT is very excited to be part of the Willamette Valley Wineries Block Party that will be held in Seattle on March 11th, 2010, at Sodo Park by Herban Feast! This event will include 50 of the top wineries from the valley and includes both the big dogs as well as some of the more esoteric wineries from the Valley. This is an incredible chance to experience many of the great wines of Oregon that would otherwise be impossible to try all in one place. If you find yourself in Seattle at this time, or could be a good reason to plan a trip, come by and see us.

For more info or to signup for this event, visit the Willamette Valley Wineries Association website.

Founder's Club

2009-11-19T21:35:00.000-08:00

Would you like the rare opportunity to experience every vintage we have made and become a long term partner with the winery. This includes rare access to Coeur de Terre and the ability to help make a special blend for just the Founder's every year. This is limited to only 60 people ever, so please hurry before it is gone.

Benefits Afforded to Founder's Club Members:

 Renelle’s Block Reserve Pinot Noir Vertical Six Pack.
As a Founders Club member, your benefits include ownership of one of only 60 engraved, wooden gift boxes containing the first six vintages of Renelle’s Block Reserve Pinot noir – the oldest vines on our property. You will be one of only a handful of people that will have experienced the wine from this block from its first inception.

 Premier access to limited edition releases such as block designates from Sarah Jane’s Block, Abby’s Block and Tallulah’s Run. Other Founders Club offerings will be made available over time.

 Special member prices on wine purchases.
You will receive 15% off of all winery purchases and will receive other special offers only available to Founders Club members.

 Invitations to exclusive winery events.
Have you ever wanted to experience the winemaking process and work side by side with the vineyard manager and winemaker? We will offer hands on experiences from the growing of the grapes to the making of the wine only for Founders Club members.

 Free tastings anytime for you and up to three friends.

 Member discounted lodging at “The Pinot Quarters”.
Founders Club members will be offered a special discount of 15% on all stays at the distinctive guest accommodations located in the heart of downtown McMinnville. This is a great jumping off spot to visit Coeur de Terre Vineyard or any other place of interest in the Willamette Valley. For more information, visit www.pinotquarters.com.

 Founders Club Blend and Annual Event

With a Founders Club membership, you will also have the opportunity to make your own wine! At an annual event each summer, members of the Founders Club will assist the winemaker in the winemaking process by determining the best of the best blend of all our vineyard blocks. That wine will then be bottled in limited production as our signature Founders Club blend, Sacre¢ Coeur, and will find a spot in your cellar with the purchase of at least one case or the equivalent of one case of wine via large format bottles. After this “hard work”, we will all sit down to a wonderful dinner at the winery where we will experience the full bounty of the land and taste verticals of Sacre’ Coeur vintages from the past.

With just 60 spots available, membership with the Founders Club is limited and attained on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $599 for the initiation fee and you will receive all of the above benefits of membership including a certificate identifying you as a member of this exclusive club.

Memorial Day Open House

2009-05-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

Well we are shining up the place as we speak and getting ready to throw open the doors for our annual Memorial Day Open House. We will have the usual new releases including our 2007 Oregon Pinot Noir (can you believe it is only $20) and our first ever 2008 Pinot Gris. As guests, we will have La Bete Wines as well as Stony Mountain vineyards pouring their wines as well. You will get over 10 wines for just $10, including local cheeses, barrel samples, local art and more. Hope to see you there.

CDT RIESLING GETS RECOGNITION!

2009-04-23T20:00:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful descriptor from the Oregon Pinot Noir Club which just picked up our wines. I love our Riesling. I once thought white wines were for the white haired ladies. Boy how time changes your palate…and your hair color! My mind was changed on an incredible trip to Alsace where we enjoyed some of the most amazing White wines in the world. We are excited that the Oregon Pinot Noir Club has discovered Coeur de Terre Vineyard.

Check out this website for all wines great from Oregon! http://www.oregonpinotnoir.com/Detail.bok?no=1832

“Old vine Riesling from Oregon! This is excellent stuff, from the Hyland Vineyard. It’s just a tad off-dry, but with the kind of acidity that creates a completely dry palate impression. It’s stuffed with the flavor of peaches, kiwi, and minerals. It’s a couple years old, and has a touch of that older Riesling aroma and a bit of a lanolin texture. Riesling is the next Oregon star, and this is one good bottle of Riesling.”

Spring Fever and Bud Break

2009-04-21T14:06:00.001-07:00

After 4 days of "June Like" weather, we are all suffering from Spring Fever. All of our garden seeds have been planted in the greenhouse, the garden beds are clean - er. We have been cooking and eating outside! Most importantly....CdT is in bud break! Most of the upper blocks have pushed with beautiful light green/hot pink buds and I am estimating our lower blocks including Renelle's Block will "pop" in the next couple of days. Today is the day that the race begins. The race that brings us closer to another amazing vintage at CdT. I love this time of year. Everything is so green and blooming...tulips, bleeding hearts, wild iris. I am so grateful to witness this beauty!

LePigeon

2009-04-21T07:50:00.001-07:00

The most amazing meal I have had recently was in an eclectic hole in the wall by the name of “Le Pigeon” www.lepigeon.com. Pan seared Fois Gras in a broth, Brussel Sprouts (not your grandmother’s Brussel Sprouts), essentially “3 courses of Meat” beautifully prepared, topped with sweet breads…mmmmmm. Deep and colorful ambiance from the music to the artwork (El Dia De Muerto Themed) with a visual of the Chef working his culinary magic center stage. I highly recommend treating ALL of your senses!

Dallas Morning News Wine Competition

2009-04-20T21:42:00.001-07:00

We just got great news that our 2006 Renelle's Block Reserve Pinot Noir received a presitgious Silver Medal in the Dallas Morning News wine competition. This is one of the biggest competitions in the country, and we were one of only 6 other Oregon wineries to receive a medal. Go to www.dallaswinecomp.com to read more, or come to our website to check out more info at www.cdtvineyard.com

Chosen for Portland Indie Wine Festival

2009-04-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Great news! CdT has been chosen once again to be part of the Indie Wine Festival in Portland. We have been chosen to pour our 2006 Estate Pinot Noir as well as our 2006 Riesling. Definately check it our if you are in the area. It consists of only 40 wineries that had to pass a tasting panel to get in, and only wines that were judged good enough are poured. I think over 100 wineries submitted and over 200 wines, so we are truly honored to be here for our 3rd go around at this great event. See you there.

The New McMinnville AVA Winegrowers Association

2009-02-01T22:36:00.000-08:00

I am very excited that all of the growers in our area have decided to join together and form the McMinnville Winegrowers Association. This group includes wineries Coleman Vineyards, Brittan Vineyards, Yamhill Valley Vineyards, Youngberg Hill Vineyards and Maysara Vineyards as well as some other great vineyards such as Meredith Mitchell Vineyards and Hyland Vineyards. The idea is to work together to educate the public on what make our area so special and work together to make better wine. This is the true spirit of Oregon.

We will keep you aware of the upcoming events and you can check out the new group at our website or our upcoming blog.

Crush 2008 Video

2008-11-07T12:53:00.001-08:00

Come see what it is like to make wine at CdT. We have uploaded a video of crush 2008 showing you all the steps we take. You can view it right here!

Getting Ready For Crush

2008-09-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

As you can see, we are cleaning up the place to get ready for crush. Have all the barrels spic and span and ready for fruit. Looks like it will happen in the next 10 days or so.

CdT in NYC

2008-09-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

They say if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, so CdT, I am happy to say, has arrived in New York. After a great day of working with our distributor, Noble House Wines, CdT can be found on some very impressive wine lists. You can now find us at Le Cirque, Bar Americain (Bobby Flay Restaurant), Klee Brasserie and BLT Steak(Laurent Tourondel Restaurant). If you are in the Big Apple, check us out.

2007 Start Bottling

2008-09-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

The final blends are done for 2007 and it is time to bottle. I am very excited that we will have our first single vineyard bottlings for Abby's Block, Sarah Janes Block and Tallulah's Run. These are going to be very limited in production and will be available only to club members, but it will be the first chance to do a side by side comparison of the differences between 4 blocks on our estate. Very exciting.

Unbelievable Rieslings

2008-09-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

There are some really cool things about being in the wine industry, and one of them is knowing some incredibly nice people. Today, I was in Washington DC showing our wines around and had the chance to have lunch at Hotel Tabard Inn (highly recommended) with friends Robert McFarlane and Dick Groppe. Dick brought a 1998 Clos Hauserer from Domaine Zund Humbrecht, and this is on top of the 1997 when I was last at Wild Ginger.

This is the way Riesling should be and do yourself a favor and get an older bottle of this juice. Racy and vibrant with minerality, with unusual power, texture and complexity. I personally preferred the 98 with its deeply textured palate. Thanks Dick.

Veraison is here

2008-09-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Well, we are in the home stretch for vintage 2008 and we are at the stage referred to as veraison. At this time the plants concentrate on ripening the fruit and have stopped the vegetative part of the season. We usually expect the ripening to happen over about 1 month, so harvest is shaping up to happen early October. As long as the weather holds (high 80s expected fornext 2 weeks), we should have a great vintage. We will keep you posted.

At The Farmers Market

2008-08-29T17:11:00.001-07:00

Well, they let us off the vineyard for a few hours to pour our wine at the McMinville Farmers Market. This is a great event that has a local winery (us this time) with local organic farmers, atrisan bakers and artists. I walked away with some organic lamb chops, sweet corn and the fixings for a beautiful caprese salad. - Posted using Pocket Watch Software Mobile GBlogger.

Placed At Wild Ginger, Seattle

2008-08-29T07:43:00.001-07:00

Well, I had my first chance to work with our new distributor in Seattle, Unique Wines. They were kind enough to haul me around the Puget Sound Area and show our wines to some very nice people.

The highlight of the trip was that Lisa's (and mine) favorite restaurant, Wild Ginger, in Seattle picked up our wines and really said some nice things about our juice. I want to thank Ole for seeing us and putting us on their list. If you are in Seattle, this is a must stop for dinner or lunch and my favorites are the Fragrant Duck (cripsy and flavorful) or the Hanoi Tuna. This place rocks and the foods are a perfect match with our Riesling and click this link to see one of the most unique menus I have seen.

If you are looking for our wines in the Seattle area, I know that they will be available at a very cool wine shop in Woodinville called Village Wines. Check out their wine club as it is unique how the members pick the selections each month. Ask for the owners, Tim or Lisa, and they will show you around a great selection and can direct you to many wineries to visit in the area.

Winecampblog.com

2008-08-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure last week to meet up with Craig Camp, famed blogger from Wine Camp Blog and Craig was nice enough to say some kind words about CdT. Sorry about the vanity plug, but it is nice to hear good things about the place.

Winery Updates

2008-08-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Thought everyone would like to see the changes going on at the winery. We are adding a huge deck and pergola for a place for everyone to hang out. Please come out, grab a glass of CdT and relax.

Biodynamics - Fact or Fiction

2008-08-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, CdT is farmed organically, and we have kept a close eye on the Biodynamic wave in viticulture. I am not convinced as to its relevancy, but there are several growers who I greatly respect that are true believers. We are looking at this and I need to be convinced this is the way to go. I would love to hear thoughts and comments from growers, winemakers, consumers, et al, as to their thoughts on this subject.

Crush Pics

2007-10-17T13:55:00.001-07:00

As promised, here
are some pics from crush.

Cheers!
Scott

Fruit Is In!!

2007-10-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give a quick update on the status of crush. Sunday we brought in all of our fruit and pushed to the very last day until the inclement weather hit once again. We had several days of no rain which helped dry the fruit and give us that last little bit of ripening needed to push us over the edge.

We had a bit of issue with pickers showing up since I think every vineyard in Oregon was picking on Sunday, but with the help of friends and family (including Lisa 9 Months pregnant) we picked the last row just as night fell. After working to around 3AM, we were able to get everything tucked away into their fermentors for their elevage.

Pics are coming once I get a chance to download them, but I want to really send thanks to Matt and Lynda King, Carl Olsen, Toni Schroeder, Jeff Monahan, Dan Feiner as well as extra special thanks to Lisa who spent the entire day sorting fruit, picking fruit, cooking for the crew, watching Abby, assisting with winemaking decisions and generally gluing the whole thing together while 2 weeks away from delivering our new little girl. What an amazing woman with a pioneering spirit and energy that awes us all.

Waiting for the Weather Gods to Smile Again

2007-10-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we are in major wait and see mode at the vineyard. Our first few fermentors are finishing up nicely and I am impressed with the color and intensity of fruit. Should be barreling down in a few days and tuck them away for a nice slow ML.

Otherwise, we are just waiting for some good clear weather to finish up the rest of the vineyard. It has been a trying week with lots of rain and not much clearing. It is looking better today and the end of the week is taunting us with promises of clear skies.

In the meantime, we are employing shaamans, priests, astrologers and others to help us bring the sun for a few more days.

Crush 2007 First Pics

2007-10-01T10:39:00.001-07:00

Abby directing sorting traffic

Lisa (and one on the way) with Abby sorting fruit.

Future winemaker sorting fruit.

Abby and me out in the field picking up fruit.

Let The Games Begin!

2007-09-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

Crush 2007 is here and we have pulled the first fruit of the year. This came from one of our newer blocks of clone 115. Fruit was in great shape and we got 2 fermentors out of it. All the new inventions at the winery appear to be working as we expected and several pics should be online tomorrow.

We are expecting a worrisome week of rain for the upcoming few days, so we are now in a wait and see mode for the majority of the fruit coming in. Making wine in Oregon always means balancing between picking and the rains, so I think everyone seems right at home with whats happening.

By the way, if you want to see a cool weather website, go to Unisys weather to see there supercomputing weather simulations. This provides us hours of fun :-)

Gruner Veltliner Tasting

2007-09-19T14:14:00.001-07:00

Next year we are planting Gruner Veltliner to our upper vineyard blocks, so when I had the chance to choose what wine our tasting group would taste, it was obvious. Well, we had the tasting and I am even more stoked to get the GV in the ground.

As expected, all of the Gruners that were brought were from Austria and they all had bracing acidic structure and nearly everyone that was brought was interesting and exciting. After we all resolved ourselves to the fact that we lost a good percentage of the enamel from our teeth due to the acidity, the overall opinion winner of the night was a 2005 Stadt Krems brought by Scott and Annie Shull from Raptor Ridge Winery. From what I understand about this wine it is the wine that the village makes and retails for around 18 bucks. This wine exhibited a minerality that was outstanding and would be a wine that could pair with just about everything.

I personally picked the Nigl Privat 2005 as my fav of the evening. This wine seemed to me to have the most finesse of the bunch along with a viscosity and density that I would expect from an Alsatian Gris. This wine had minerality as well, but also had the classic lentil nose with lemongrass and white pepper finish. Thanks to Jim at JK Carriere for hosting the event and I fully recommend trying out Gruner.

Scott Neal - Winemaker/Owner

Crush 2007 Coming Down

2007-09-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

We are in the final weeks of crush 2K7 and we are getting typicaly Oregon fall weather. Early in the week we saw temps around 95 and over the last couple days the chill of fall has clearly descended upon us. This is a very good thing as it will allow the grapes to ripen slowly and develop the nuance we are looking for. I am expecting picking late in the first week of October, but anything can happen. Bouts of more 90 plus and we will pick early, rain and it could be delayed.

Fruit is looking great right now and we are praying to the weather gods for more of what we had this week. Pics of fruit and and vineyard coming next week and this is shaping up to be the biggest harvest yet in CdT history.

KEX Radio At The Winery

2007-09-13T12:23:00.001-07:00

We had a pretty exciting visitor to the winery last week, Jim McLaren and his wife Susan from KEX 1190 radio from Portland. Jim has a weekly feature call "Grape Explorer" and he is going to feature little old CdT. It will air on September 14th at 5:12 AM (Yawn), 12:42PM and 5:35PM and then on Saturday at 6:50AM and Sunday at 8:50AM.

Take a listen in or go to www.1190KEX.com and search for Grape. He will have the story with some accompanying video.

Pretty cool exposure for CdT.

2006 Bottling

2007-09-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well it is that time of year again to bottle our Pinots. The 2006's are shaping up to be quite yummy with huge fruit on the front. Renelle's is going to be some of the best yet and will taste great right out of the chute. We are going to have 325 cases of the RB and and 275 of the Estate. The Estate is shaping up to be reserve quality and I think a real value. Pics of bottling will be up when I can.