THE HEART OF BETHEL HEIGHTS VINEYARD IS PINOT NOIR. More than half the vineyard, over thirty acres, is planted to Pinot noir, in seven different sections. Over the years certain blocks have given us wines of distinctive character deserving special designation, most consistently the Southeast Block and the Flat Block.
The Flat Block yields the most refined and elegant of our Pinot noirs, beautifully balanced, with a specificity of aroma and flavor that transcends vintage differences. Wines from the Flat Block have been bottled as separate reserves since 1991.
The Flat Block is a 3.3 acre section planted in 1979 on a flat table (hence the name) slightly inclined to the south, directly above the neighboring Southeast Block at about 520 feet altitude. As in the Southeast Block, the vines are 100% Pommard clone, 540 vines per acre, spaced eight feet by ten feet. The vines are vertically trellised and the crop is held close to two tons per acre.
All the soils of Bethel Heights are volcanic in origin, but the soil of the Flat Block is shallower and more gravelly in texture than the neighboring Southeast Block. Soil consultants have confirmed that the rocks of the Flat Block have a different mineral compostion from the rocks underlying the Southeast Block, which helps explain why these two blocks produce wines of such distinctly different character. The distinctions become increasingly apparent with age, both of the vines and the wines.
BETHEL HEIGHTS
VINEYARD
6060 Bethel Heights Road NW
Salem, Oregon 97304 U.S.A.
Phone (503) 581-2262
Fax (503) 581-0943
Website: www.bethelheights.com
Email: info@bethelheights.com
A printable version (pdf file) for this wine can be found here.
2000 PINOT NOIR * FLAT BLOCK RESERVE
Certified Sustainably Grown
Harvest date: October 8, 2000
Grapes at harvest: Brix : 24, pH: 3.25, TA: 7.4 gr/liter
Finished wine: Alcohol 13.8 %, pH: , TA: gr/liter
Barrel aged 14 months in Center of France oak, 60% new
430 Cases produced
Bottled unfiltered, December 2001
Suggested Retail $35
The 2000 vintage followed the typical pattern for a good Oregon vintage. Bloom in mid-June under sunny skies set a large crop that had to be thinned aggressively. Sunny weather persisted through the summer, and a shot of rain in early September kept the vines healthy through a long slow ripening period. We enjoyed a beautiful harvest in mid-October with no rain in sight. This may be the ripest vintage we've ever seen at Bethel Heights in terms of physiological maturity of the fruit at harvest - sugar content, sugar/acid balance, and flavors on the ripe end of the pinot fruit spectrum.
Tasting notes: The Flat Block Pinot Noir is elegant, stylish and supple but with a core of power. Bright acidity provides for a persistent cherry fruit finish.
| "Crisp, refined style offers pretty blueberry and menthol flavors, which echo nicely among the fine-grained tannins on the finish." Score 88, The Wine Spectator (June 15, 2002) |
Certified Sustainably Grown: The 2000 Flat Block Reserve Pinot Noir is certified sustainably grown by LIVE Inc. and Salmon Safe™. LIVE is a sustainable agriculture program certified under international standards of Integrated Production. For details go to liveinc.org. Salmon Safe™ certifies farming practices that restore and protect healthy streams and rivers. For details, go to salmonsafe.org.