BETHEL HEIGHTS is a family-owned and operated vineyard in the Eola Hills, a hill chain of volcanic origin in the heart of Oregon's Willamette Valley. More than half the vineyard, over thirty acres, is planted to Pinot noir.

The oldest Pinot noir vines at Bethel Heights were planted in 1977 with clone UCD-1A, known commonly in Oregon as one of the Wädenswil clones; hence the name Wädenswil Block for this five-acre section. Originally from Burgundy, this clone is named after the viticultural experiment station in Wädenswil, Switzerland where it was indexed before coming to the United States many years ago.

At Bethel Heights the Wädenswil is a rather late-ripening clone, usually harvested about ten days after the more widely planted Pommard clone. It also tends to have higher acidity, bigger clusters and smaller berries - hence darker color - than the Pommard. These qualities make it an important component in our estate blend.

In our warmest vintages when late harvest allows the Wädenswil clone to achieve maximum flavor development it yields exceptional stand-alone wines of distinctive character. To date there have been four vintages in which it has been bottled as a separate block-designated Reserve: 1992, 1995, 1998 and 1999.

Harvest date: October 18, 1999
Grapes at harvest: Brix : 23.7, pH: 3.26, TA: 10.0 gr/liter
Finished wine: Alcohol 13.5 %, pH: 3.51, TA: 6.0 gr/liter
Barrel aged 11 months in Center of France oak, 50% new
233 Cases produced
Bottled unfiltered, September 2000
Suggested Retail $35

The 1999 vintage: Cold rainy weather throughout the spring and early summer left the vineyards a whole month behind their normal timetable. The crop was thinned drastically in early August to give it the best possible chance to ripen, then an unprecedented stretch of warm sunny weather that lasted through the end of October brought the fruit to peak maturity under optimal conditions.

Winemaker notes: In '99 the Wädenswil was harvested two weeks later than in '98, fully ripe but still retaining the bright acidity typical of this clone at Bethel Heights. Fermentation began spontaneously on the third day. The wine was pressed on the 13th day,, barreled in French oak, finished malolactic the following Spring, was racked once and bottled unfiltered. Ten of the twenty-five total Wädenswil barrels were selected for this Reserve wine.

This is clearly the most powerful wine we produced in 1999. Deep, dark, and rich, it has both a youthful forwardness and great aging potential. Deep black cherry flavors and aromas with high tone floral perfume.