2021 Kill Hill pinot noir
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This wine blends the Dijon 114 and 667 clones in a roughly 50/50 blend, melding the dark, black-fruited, spicy, peppery 667 clone with the lighter, red-fruited, brightly acidic 114 clone. The combination is like a perfect mixed cocktail, with contrasting and compimenting notes of red and black, heavy and light, spicy and earthy. We generally barrel the Kill Hill fruit in a higher % of new French Oak to give it more tannic backbone, and a natural cocoa aromatic can be discerned in this wine after a few years in the bottle, stemming from the desperately rocky soil from which it springs.
One of our bolder offerings, Kill Hill pairs beautifully with duck, lamb, hearty cheeses, and various red meats and sauces. We strongly recommend at least four years cellar aging, and this wine will evolve and improve for at least ten years in the bottle.
"Kill Hill" is the name we gave the upper northeast quadrant of the Lenné vineyard. It was first planted in 2004, and due to terrible soil and a hot and dry spring, 99% of the newly planted vines died off. The section was replanted in 2005 and 2006, with huge numbers of the young vines dying each year. Not until 2008 was the whole block growing, but very grudgingly -- even 15 years later, the trunks near the top of the hill are still as thin as five-year old vines in more fertile soil.
Vintage Notes
The 2021 growing season was long and hot, with a larger than average fruit set that paired beautifully with the lengthy ripening season. We saw a record heat bubble in late June with temps over 114 degrees! Thankfully that happened in June and not August, and the tiny grapes were not impacted by the brief event. The rest of the summer was hot, but not excessively, and we saw our typical cooling in September, allowing for longer hang time. On the whole it was one of the best vintages in the history of the Willamette Valley.
Our 2021 pinots are bold and fruit-forward, but even young, they show excellent balance with tannic structure and acidity on the finish. These wines drink exceptionally well even young, but as with all Lenne pinots, we recommend at least four years cellar time.
