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It's been a little warmer and much drier than normal the past three months, which puts us about 10 days ahead of the "average" pace in the vineyards. Bud-break was a week to ten days early, and unless we get a cold snap we're on course for flowering in early June (normally this happens around June 15th or so…)
The vines are healthy, shoot growth is even and strong, and we're ready for another hopefully stellar vintage here in the heart of the Willamette Valley….
 Make your plans now to join us for our first-ever Memorial Day Weekend Open House event. We'll be open from 11-4 on Saturday & Sunday, May 29th & 30th. You'll find us in our home at the incredible Carlton Winemakers Studio, America's first "green" winery and Oregon's premier facility for artisanal Pinot Noir winemaking.
Admission is $15, and that includes tastings of not only the Scott Paul wines (we'll be pouring the 2002 La Paulée, 2002 Cuvée Martha Pirrie, and some 2003 barrel samples), but delicious stuff from the other resident wineries at the Studio - including Penner-Ash, Hamacher Wines, Andrew Rich, Bryce Vineyards, Dominio IV, Domaine Meriwether, and more.
Insider's note: Plan to come on the early side - later in the afternoon it can get pretty crazy!
If you can't make it for the Open House - our tasting room in the Carlton Winemaker's Studio is open 12-5 daily year-round. Please plan to stop by. We're at 801 N. Scott St. in Carlton, OR - call (503) 852-6100 for information and directions….
Precious little of the 2002 wines remain. Small quantities are still available here online, and we've reserved a good amount for the Open House - but after that they'll likely be gone for good. As always, our wines are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, so please don't hesitate if you're contemplating a purchase…
 We're thrilled to announce that we've contracted for 2 acres of an exciting old-vine Pinot Noir vineyard in the Red Hills of Dundee. Three Sisters Vineyard was planted in 1988 by none other than Oregon's Pinot pioneer - David Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards. Planted to Pommard and Wadenswil clones on their own roots, this site has been meticulously farmed by David and his team from day one, and is ideally situated just below the Domaine Drouhin and Archery Summit vineyards .
We're honored to have the opportunity to make wine from this site. Adding these mature vines to our Shea, Stoller, and Ribbon Ridge vineyard parcels will add even more complexity to our cuvées, as we continue our never-ending quest for the purest, most elegant Pinot Noir…
 We've been very pleased with the élévage of the 2003s so far. They are wines of voluptuous, ripe fruit, delicious dark fruit flavors, and are showing signs of the elegance and finesse that we cherish. The challenge in 2003 was to avoid making wines that were over-the-top huge, and it seems that we have succeeded to this point. Taste for yourself as we open up some barrel samples at the Memorial Day Weekend Open House…
We'll be making the selections for the cuvées sometime in July, and the plan now is to bottle the 2003s in mid-August. From the 2003 vintage we will be producing three separate bottlings:
Cuvée Martha Pirrie - the most fruit-forward, direct and immediately likeable wines in the cellar, for consuming over the first 3-5 years. Retail price - $20
La Paulée - a selection of the most complex, concentrated, and elegant lots in the cellar. A cut-above in aromatics and length, and better structure for extended ageing. Retail Price - $35
Audrey - the most elegant, pure silky Pinot in the cellar. A selection of just a few barrels - this is our crème-de-la-crème, our attempt to show the best we can produce if we cherry-pick the best. Retail Price - $45
Audrey is new this year, and production will be extremely limited - likely less than 100 cases. Plans are to release the Cuvée Martha Pirrie and La Paulée this fall, with Audrey to come in the spring of 2005. Futures of Audrey will be available this fall - watch your email for details…
As our production increases a bit, it's a little easier to find our wines in the marketplace. Contact our distributors for more information on where to find Scott Paul wines near you.
Oregon - Tsarina Wines (503) 542-4296
Washington - Cordon Selections (206) 264-9594
So. California - Golden State Wines (818) 908-9509
DC & Virgina - C'est Vin (703) 243-3559
We'll be adding distributors in Northern California, New York, and Florida by year's end - details in our next newsletter…
We look forward to seeing you in Oregon this summer!
Martha & Scott Wright, proprietor
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