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At this point it appears we are headed for another vintage similar to 1994 or 1998, in terms of a naturally small crop in the vineyards, and a warm, dry year (warm for our cool climate, that is!) Those two vintages yielded some of the most opulent and luscious Oregon Pinots ever, and conditions so far have shown a lot of similarities.
Unlike 2001, 2002, and 2003 - we will not need to drop much (if any) crop at veraison this year. Cooler and damper weather during flowering, and a prolonged flowering period, have produced a small crop that will naturally come in at around 1.75 tons/acre in the 15 acres we have under contract. In the three previous years, large clusters and a strong fruit-set required most growers to drop more than half of their fruit to get down to 2-2.5 tons/acre.
The sun has been shining non-stop, and our trademark long, warm days and long, cool evenings have been flowing back-to-back virtually uninterrupted. Keep your fingers crossed for what could be our 7th excellent vintage in a row. Everything started about two weeks ahead of the average pace this year, and it looks like we're headed for a harvest starting around September 15th…
 After over three years at the helm of Domaine Drouhin Oregon, I have resigned my position there to focus fulltime and exclusively on Scott Paul. Yeah! This is the culmination of a dream for us, and a very exciting time.
We moved our winemaking operation to Oregon in early 2001, to focus 100% on Oregon Pinot Noir, having no idea that the opportunity to run Oregon's most prestigious producer would present itself. It has been a tremendous experience at DDO, and has done nothing but help the cause for Scott Paul. I am grateful to Véronique Drouhin and the entire Drouhin family for their generosity, wisdom, and kindness.
 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…
 These wines have continued to gain elegance and show more purity of fruit throughout their élévage. We're very excited about the 2003s, and have been from day one. As we continue to taste in the cellar, what we originally thought was going to be three distinct and separate cuvées has revealed itself instead to be four different wines:
Cuvée Martha Pirrie - the most fruit-forward, direct and immediately likeable wines in the cellar, for consuming over the first 3-5 years. The 2003 version is sourced from select lots of the Ribbon Ridge, Stoller, and Shea fruit. Once again, this is our attempt to over-deliver at the price and make this the best bang for your Pinot buck in the New Word!
Retail price - $20 Scheduled for release in October 2004
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. Selected from older-vine parcels of Stoller and Shea vineyards.
Retail Price - $35 Scheduled for release in October 2004
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. The fruit was grown in our blocks of Dijon- 777 and Pommard clones at Ribbon Ridge Vineyard.
Retail Price - $48 Scheduled for release in March 2005
(less than 100 cases produced)
Three Barrels - When a single lot of wine from a single vineyard block demonstrates that it needs to stand alone, we will not stand in its way! This is an intensely concentrated wine with scrumptious length, and the fruit was sourced entirely from Block 21 of Shea Vineyard. This is own-rooted Pommard-clone Pinot planted in 1990. As the name suggests, only three barrels were produced, and we'll be bottling less than 75 cases of this one. This wine will not be available at any retail or restaurant outlets, but will be sold exclusively to our mailing list and to tasting room customers at the winery.
Retail price - $50 Scheduled for release in March 2005
As always, we'll be offering substantial discounts on these wines to our mailing list customers. Watch your e-mail for the offering this September. Here are the deals that will be available:
(The following two wines will be ready to ship or pick-up in October 2004.)
2003 Cuvée Martha Pirrie - 10% discount on full cases of 12. This brings your bottle price down to an amazing $18. Stock up!
2003 La Paulée - Special early-purchase discount, only $25/bottle through November 28th, 2004, after which the price reverts to full retail of $35.
Futures
(This wine will be ready to ship or pick-up in March 2005)
2003 Audrey - Futures price is $35/bottle. Will be $48 on release.
All of the above special pricing will be in effect from the day our fall newsletter is published (scheduled for early September) through November 28th, 2004. Prices will be valid for mailing list customers and customers visiting our tasting room at the Carlton Winemakers Studio only. Full details in the fall newsletter…
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 expanding distribution into several more states in the near future. Look for details in our next newsletter…
We look forward to seeing you in Oregon this summer and fall!
Martha & Scott Wright, proprietor
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