Dusky Goose Pinot noir - Unforgettable
by Author Name
About Dusky Goose Winery
While Dusky Goose has maintained a low profile and very limited production over the last few years, its Pinot noir is considered some of the best made in Oregon. Consulting winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash makes the Dusky Goose wines from Winderlea Vineyard fruit (formerly known as Goldschmidt Vineyard). A younger vineyard, the owners' estate vineyard, Rambouillet Vineyard, produced fruit included in the 2004 and 2005 vintages of Dusky Goose, and will play an increasingly important part in the wine's composition in years to come.
Dusky Goose Pinot noirs show up nationwide at the country's finest restaurants. Pascal Sauton of Portland, Oregon based Carafe Restaurant used the Dusky Goose 03 for his dinner when he was inducted into the "Academie Culinaire de France", one of the most prestigious French Chef Associations. Portland's Paley's Place calls Dusky Goose one of their favorite Oregon wine discoveries. 'Dusky Goose is not Burgundian at all. It's all Oregon," said Kimberly Paley. "Big fruit, lots of style, true to the grape and a real sense of place (terrior)," make this one of Paley's favorite wines. So much so they showcase the Dusky Goose Pinot Noirs at special events across the country, including a James Beard Foundation dinner in 2006.
The owners of Dusky Goose and Rambouillet Vineyard, John and Linda Carter of Atherton, CA and Portland, OR, released their first vintage, the 2002 Dusky Goose Pinot noir in 2004. Tamara Lundgren of Farmington, CT, joined the partnership in 2005. The current release of Dusky Goose Pinot noir is the 2005 vintage. 800 cases were made. The Carter family named the wine for the rare Dusky Goose that migrates to the Willamette Valley from Alaska each winter.
Rambouillet & Goldschmidt Vineyards
Dusky Goose Pinot noir is made from a combination of fruit from Winderlea Vineyard and Rambouillet Vineyard. Both vineyards are located in the heart of Oregon's North Willamette Valley, west of the town of Dundee. The area is now a sub-AVA called the "Dundee Hills". The Dundee Hills are known for their red volcanic Jory soil and host over 50 vineyards, including many of the top rated in the state.
Rambouillet Vineyard Dusky Goose's Estate Vineyard
The owners of Dusky Goose Wines, Linda Levy Carter and John Carter, purchased land adjacent to the what was then called the Goldschmidt Vineyard in 2001 and hired Lynn Penner-Ash and Dundee Hills vineyard manager Andy Humphrey to plan and plant a new vineyard, named Rambouillet Vineyard.
Rambouillet Vineyard, in the Dundee Hills west of the town of Dundee, is surrounded by such highly regarded vineyards as Arcus, Weber, Bergstrom, and Winderlea Vineyard, just up the road.
The Rambouillet Vineyard's first vintage was 2004, and the grapes were combined with Dundee Hills grapes to make the 2004 Dusky Goose Pinot noir.
Rambouillet Vineyard is planted entirely in Pinot noir, in a combination of clones chosen by Andy Humphries and Lynn Penner-Ash to specifically complement the clonal selections at Dundee Hills Vineyard.
In 2006, a single vineyard Pinot noir was made from Rambouillet Vineyard fruit only. It will probably be released in 2009.
Winderlea Vineyard (Formerly Goldschmidt Vineyard)
In 2006, the Goldschmidt Vineyard, source for Dusky Goose's 2002 and 2003 vintages, and the source of the majority of the grapes for the 2004 and 2005 vintages, was sold and its name was changed to Winderlea Vineyard. Dusky Goose continues to purchase grapes from Winderlea, and has a longterm contract to make Winderlea grapes part of its Pinot noir offerings for many years.
The Goldschmidt/Winderlea vineyard site includes some of the Dundee Hills AVA's original Pinot noir plantings from the early 1970s. With a southern exposure and clay loam soil, the vineyard is managed for low yields. A variety of Pinot noir clones are planted at the site.
The name "Winderlea Vineyard" may not yet fall as trippingly from the tongue of Oregon wine lovers as some other hallowed single vineyard names, but it is one of the oldest Pinot noir vineyards in Oregon, and has produced many fine wines.
"I think this vineyard is an awesome site for Pinot noir," enthuses winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash. "It is a spectacular vineyard and near and dear to my heart in terms of quality!"
Penner-Ash should know: she worked with the vineyard's fruit at Rex Hill from 1988 to 1996, and today makes Pinot noir wine from the site for both the Dusky Goose label and her own Penner-Ash Wine Cellars.
"There is an incredible dried cherry quality that is unique to that site," says Lynn Penner Ash, winmaker for Dusky Goose. "The fruit smells like dried cherry tea, and then moves into a ripe red pear mouth feel. The fruit has a creamy textural feel when it is ready to pick, and in the winery it produces a very focused red fruited wine that is incredibly rich and sweet."
Located in the prime Pinot land known as the Red Hills of Dundee, Goldschmidt Vineyard was originally planted in 1974 and today is home to some of the oldest own-rooted Pinot noir vines in the Willamette Valley. The original plantings included Pommard, Wädenswil, and the so-called Coury Clone of Pinot noir (the latter appears to be a "suitcase clone" brought into Oregon by Charles Coury in the early 1970s) - as well as a "mystery" clone of unconfirmed origins.
The earliest plantings at the site also included Gamay, Chardonnay, and even Cabernet. When ex-Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt purchased the vineyard in 1998, he wisely decided that it was best suited for purely Pinot noir. Goldschmidt asked David Adelsheim, Oregon's foremost expert on Pinot noir clones, to replant the rest of the vineyard taking advantage of the latest clonal material.
The Vineyard Today
Today, the 17-acre site is composed of 15 blocks (see table) with a mixture of different Pinot noir clones. "David did a fabulous job of balancing the vineyard," says Penner-Ash, "and the farming is superbly managed by Andy Humphrey."
Humphrey has a good site to work with. With a southerly slope ranging in elevation from 440-ft to 560-ft., the exposure and Jory soils combine to make it one of the earliest maturing vineyards in the area - an area, by the way, dotted with such other well-known vineyards as Arcus, Bergström, Maresh, and Erath Prince Hill.
Winemaker Lynn Penner Ash
Lynn Penner-Ash is an Oregon wine industry icon. Active in Oregon winemaking and Oregon wine industry promotion since 1988, Lynn combines awesome winemaking abilities with a deep knowledge of Oregon's vineyards.
Lynn trained at UC Davis, changing majors from Botany to Viticulture to Enology. After working as Stags Leap Wine Cellars' enologist for four years, she joined Rex Hill Winery in 1988. During her tenure at Rex Hill, she made a long string of highly rated and sought after wines, concurrently serving as President and COO of Rex Hill from 1993 until 2003.
Lynn and husband Ron Penner-Ash started Penner-Ash Wine Cellars in 1988 and left Rex Hill to devote her time to Penner-Ash Wine Cellars in 2002. Today, Penner-Ash Wine Cellars makes about 5000 cases of highly sought after wine a year.
Lynn Penner-Ash and Dusky Goose
Lynn Penner-Ash's involvement with Dusky Goose began in 1988 when she began working with the fruit of what was then called the Dundee Hills Vineyard, making wine from the vineyard for Rex Hill. She was approached by Neil Goldschmidt, who purchased the vineyard in 1992, to make a wine for him and his partners John and Linda Carter.
A great deal of attention and thought was put into the vineyard by Lynn and the winery partners. "When Neil approached me about making the wines for Dusky Goose," recalls Penner-Ash, "we walked through Goldschmidt Vineyard and talked about the style of wine they wanted to produce. We talked about what each block might bring to the wine, and we picked out what we thought were the best blocks for their style."
Lynn made wine for what became Dusky Goose through the late 90's and continues as the winemaker for Dusky Goose today, working closely with John and Linda, and with longtime vineyard manager Andy Humphreys.
While Lynn initially made wine for Dusky Goose from grapes exclusively from the Goldschmidt Vineyard, now renamed Winderlea Vineyard (Goldschmidt sold the vineyard in 2006 and the new owners changed the name), Lynn now also works with the grapes of Rambouillet Vineyard, owned by John and Linda Carter. She has made several single vineyard designate wines from the Rambouillet Vineyard, the first of which may be released in 2008.
Winemaking - A High "Yumm Factor"
I am always very gentle with the fruit," says Penner-Ash describing he approach to making wines from Winderlea Vineyard (formerly GOldschmidt Vineyard), whether for Dusky Goose or for her own label. "I pretty much let it do its own thing."
She focuses on small, indigenous yeast ferments, and she carefully manages fermentation temperatures. She's also found that the vineyard's fruit seems to have an affinity for barrels from France's Cadus cooper.
Sometimes the red fruit is so high in fruitiness that it tends to dominate the aromatics," she says. "To mitigate that the barrels add just the right amount of spice to complement the fruit."
Even so, Penner-Ash is careful to let the Winderlea Vineyard speak for itself in the wines. "I want to support the lushness of the vineyard, and not overshadow it." It is that lushness that seems to shine through in all the wines from Winderlea Vineyard.
"There is an incredible dried cherry quality that is unique to that site," she says. "The fruit smells like dried cherry tea, and then moves into a ripe red pear mouth feel. The fruit has a creamy textural feel when it is ready to pick, and in the winery it produces a very focused red fruited wine that is incredibly rich and sweet."
"People put the (Dusky Goose) wine in their mouth and they say 'Oh my God!' Somehow this site produces wines with an incredibly sweet and rich mid mouth feel. It has a high yumm factor," exclaims Penner-Ash, "I don't know how else to describe it!
Vineyard Management
Search Google for Andy and you'll find his name on the website of Oregon's most prestigious wineries- Belle Pente, Lachini, Adelsheim, David Hill, Francis Tannahill, and Beaux Freres among them. Andy manages or assists in the management of many vineyards, including the Winderlea (Goldschmidt) and Rambouillet Vineyards.
Andy Humphrey also owns the Ana Vineyard, whose grapes goe into Beaux Freres and other fine Oregon Pinot noirs. Beaux Freres' Mike Etzel also makes an Ana Vineyard Pinot noir for Andy each year.
Dusky Goose vineyard manager Andy Humphrey Andy's own Ana Vineyard is seen behind him.
Dusky Goose Owners John & Linda Carter
John Carter was born and raised in Pendleton, Oregon, one of a third-generation family of wheat and cattle ranchers. After Stanford University and Harvard Law School, he spent a career in the San Francisco Bay Area, first as a partner in a large San Francisco law firm, then with the engineering and construction firm Bechtel. He retired from Bechtel in 2002, and returned to Oregon, where he has various interests. The Dusky Goose Pinot noir is his first venture into making wine.
Linda Carter was also born and raised in Pendleton, Oregon. Her family goes even further back to the early days of Oregon agriculture, and remains actively involved today as well in the Pendleton area. Linda graduated from Juilliard School of Music in New York City, and received a masters degree from the University of Michigan. Linda also performed in New York with the Jose Limon Dance Company, and other notable modern dance groups. She later headed the dance department at Scripps College in Claremont, California until after she and John were married in 1977, and she relocated to the San Francisco area.
John and Linda spend their time in Oregon in several places, including Portland, Pendleton, and the Bend area. Their agricultural adventure, and passion, is the Rambouillet Vineyard and Dusky Goose Pinot noir.
The Wine
Dusky Goose Pinot noir 05 $54
Seamlessly lush and constantly evolving, the 05 Dusky Goose again shows why it is an Avalon favorite. The nose opens with oodles of black fruit, with a brightness (freshness) that lifts the aromas from the glass. Truffled cream intertwines with dried herbs, rose petals, and cocoa powder.
Black berry, black cherry, black raspberry, and dark red cherry vibrantly wrap around your palate. Supple fruit is lifted by the fresh acidity of the 2005 vintage, hinting at a long life in the cellar.
The finish is full of subtle spice and barrel toast, mixing with sweet black fruit and re-emerging creamy truffle notes. After many seconds, super-fine tannins move like a feather around your mouth.
The 05 Dusky evolves with each taste, one minute offering lushness, the next putting on a darker element and showing exotic barrel spice. The 2005 Dusky Goose: proof that sophistication and elegance can coexist with opulence in an Oregon Pinot noir.
Made from 45% Ramboillet Vineyard fruit (vineyard owned by Dusky Goose) and 55% Goldschmidt/Winderlea VIneyard, the 2005 is a combination of Pinot noir clones: Old Vine Pommard, Young Vine Pommard, 828 and 777 clones, and a small amount of 114 and 115 clones.
Dusky Goose Vintages Revisited: 2003 and 2004
In a side-by-side tasting of the 2003 and 2004 Dusky Goose over the course of a couple days, both wines showed extraordinary development and complexity.
Both 2003 and 2004 are powerful wines, juicy and multilayered, with the vineyard's characteristic dried red cherry quality. The 2003 shows more of a dark fruit profile in the nose, flavors, and finish, with a succulent sweetness. The medium to full-bodied 2004 has that vibrant, uplifting freshness characteristic of the 2004 vintage, and more red as well as black fruit flavors.
In the 2004, the layered flavors are easier to discern- there's a sense of transparency catalysed by refreshing acidity. More hints of lavender, roses, herbs, and chocolate are present in the 2004. Both wines are quite cellarworthy, with the 2004 having a slightly longer potential life.
The Dusky Goose
The Dusky Canada Goose, Branta canadensis occidentalis, is a subspecies of Canada Goose that breeds only in Alaska's Copper River Delta on the south coast of Alaska and on nearly islands. In the winter, they move south to the Willamette Valley and along the western Columbia River gorge. The Dusky Goose is rare, and has one of the smallest populations of all Canadian geese. One of the
If you want to see a Dusky Goose, they arrive in Oregon and southwest Washington in November or December, wintering over until March or April. In the South Willamette Valley, near Corvallis (where Avalon Wine is located), the Finley National Wildlife Refuge was created to provide wintering habitat for the Dusky Goose. The refuge contains the largest remaining tract of Willamette Valley wet prairie and many wild birds and animals. Occasionally you can even see elk in the refuge.
Goldschmidt Vineyard:
Block - Clone - Year Planted
1 Pommard 1975
2 Pommard 1976
3 Dijon 115 1974
4 Wädensvil 1974
5 Coury 1990
6 Dijon 115 2000
7 Coury 2002
8 Dijon 777 1999
9 Dijon 667 1999
10 Coury 1974
11 Mystery 1974
12 Dijon 115 1974
13 Dijon 115 1974
14 Dijon 115 2001
15 Dijon 115 2001
