2024 Amity Vineyards Estate Riesling

Tasting Notes: Nutmeg, Honeysuckle, Sunchoke

The Riesling block at Amity Estate sits at over 500ft elevation with 40+ year-old vines. The 2024 Amity Riesling was hand picked on October 14th and pressed whole cluster. The wine went through a slow, cool fermentation until just the right balance of sweetness and acidity was reached. This wine exhibits beautiful honeysuckle aromatics with earthy notes of sunchoke and nutmeg.

2024 kicked off with a bang with a mid-January ice storm that engulfed much of the Pacific Northwest and all of the Willamette Valley for the better part of a week. This freezing weather was followed by cool temperatures through bud break in early April for the warmer parts of the state and the third week of April in the Willamette Valley. The growing season warmed up in April and May, with growing degree day accumulation slowing through Jun (and July in some parts of the state), though by the time September arrived, temperatures and growing degree days thrust us into the harvest season tracking warmer than average, though without much of the extreme heat that has characterized seasons within recent memory. Another notable difference from recent vintages were the handful of precipitation events throughout the summer, harkening to Oregon weather patterns 15-20 years past. Because the weather surrounding these rain events was otherwise dry and warm and the rain came while the berries were still firm, disease pressure remained in check and these passing showers simply served to rinse the dust from canopies and recharge a little soil moisture. The heart of the harvest season itself, September and October, saw limited wet weather and moderate temperatures, allowing for a comfortable and measured season full of pristine, ripe grapes.