Bloom – Pinot Noir – June 13th
SUMMER 2023 WINE CLUB NEWSLETTER
July marks the halfway point of our winery’s 20th Anniversary year and we are happily keeping busy with family, farming and of course, wine. Congratulations to our eldest son, Kael, who just graduated from Corvallis High School! Many of you may remember Kael as the toddler sitting atop a barrel in the early days of our winery. Now he is working with us in the winery and the vineyards while he decides which trade he wants to pursue.
The 2023 growing season is progressing quite well and fruit has set. Matt decided to delay pruning this year to make sure budbreak happened after the threat of frost had passed – a lesson learned from last year – and this tactic worked nicely. Bloom happened around June 13-15th, and we usually expect harvest about 110 days after that. Rain stopped earlier this year than last, so it’s a little drier out there. Our vineyards are dry-farmed, meaning no irrigation. Fortunately grape vines grow the best quality fruit by sending down deep roots to get nutrients and moisture. This last week of June has brought vigorous growth to the vineyards.
The 2023 growing season is progressing quite well and fruit has set. Matt decided to delay pruning this year to make sure budbreak happened after the threat of frost had passed – a lesson learned from last year – and this tactic worked nicely. Bloom happened around June 13-15th, and we usually expect harvest about 110 days after that. Rain stopped earlier this year than last, so it’s a little drier out there. Our vineyards are dry-farmed, meaning no irrigation. Fortunately grape vines grow the best quality fruit by sending down deep roots to get nutrients and moisture. This last week of June has brought vigorous growth to the vineyards.
Now we observe and adapt to whatever Mother Nature has in store till harvest!
We founded our winery in 2003 with the ethos of producing wines from the soil up, made with minimal intervention, to remain true to the varietal character of the grape. Compton Family Wines showcase the terroir of our home, the beautiful and bountiful Willamette Valley. Your summer Wine Club selections include refreshing whites and rose for warm summer days and luscious Pinot Noirs for the cool summer evenings when coastal winds blow through the valley.
From all of us on the Compton Family Wines team, thank you for being the most important part of our business. It’s been a wonderful 20 years of growing together and enjoying great wine.
Happy Summer, Matthew & Tabitha Compton
Compton Wine Club Selections July 2023
2 Mix Club
Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Woodhall Pinot Noir, 2021
2 Red Club
Woodhall Pinot Noir 2021
Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2019
6 Mix Club
Sauvignon Blanc, 2022
Rosé of Pinot Noir, 2022
Pinot Blanc, 2022
Woodhall Pinot Noir, 2021
Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2019
Llewellyn Cuvée Pinot Noir, 2018
6 Red Club
Woodhall Pinot Noir, 2021 (x2)
Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2019 (x2)
Llewellyn Cuvée Pinot Noir, 2018 (x 2)
JULY 2023
COMPTON PICKUP CLUB
THE WINES
Compton Wine Club Selections
July 2023
Garden Series
Sauvignon Blanc, 2022
We wanted to make sure our Wine Club Members get to enjoy our popular, but small production, Sauvignon Blanc before it’s gone! 100% Sauvignon Blanc, organically grown by our friends at Croft Vineyard. The fruit was hand-picked, then whole-cluster pressed. Juice was fermented in a combination of Stainless-steel tank, neutral wood barrels and Concrete Egg tank. The blend of the three fermenters gives the wine a wide range on the palette with balance.
Garden Series
Rosé of Pinot Noir, 2022
New release! We intentionally harvest Pinot Noir earlier to make our Rosé. Half of the fruit is whole cluster pressed and the other half is soaked on the skins overnight then blended and fermented in stainless steel. This vintage offers hints of fresh strawberries, raspberry, lily, balanced acidity with a smooth finish.
Old Vine Collection
Pinot Blanc, 2022
Tabitha’s favorite! Estate Pinot Blanc vines were planted in 1997 at our Compton Family Farms Vineyard in Philomath, Oregon. This Southeast facing vineyard is lower elevation and benefits from the rich soil series of the Willamette Valley. The cooler micro-climate here allows us to pick our Pinot Blanc later in the season when the flavors are full and expressive. 60% of the fruit was pressed and placed in the concrete egg to ferment and age.
Garden Series
OSU Woodhall Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2021
New release!
Single vineyard Pinot Noir from Oregon State University, Woodhall Vineyard. Pinot Noir clones are Pommard and Wadenswil.
Garden Series
Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, 2019
Library Wine
We love sharing library wines with our club members! Our 2019 Garden Series Pinot Noir has aged into an even more layered and delightful wine.
Old Vine Series
Llewellyn Cuvée Pinot Noir, 2018
New release!
Pinot Noir from the Compton Family Farm, Hoot & Howl Vineyard, and Mary’s Peak Vineyard was fermented in our open top oak fermenter, barrel aged for 12 months, then aged in the concrete egg for 5 months before bottling. Our 2018 wines stand out as phenomenal.
February and March brought enough coolness and rain to slow the vines down and provide enough soil moisture going into spring. Late bud break was due to a slightly wet and cooler April in 2018, bloom and véraison caught up quickly soon after. The fruit set was good, harvest was slow and steady which resulted in truly dialed in fruit composition with sugar levels, acidity, and pH all close to average. Cool autumn weather allowed grapes to hang and develop complex avors on the vine while retaining fresh acidity.
