2003 Estate Bottled Riesling

Wine Statistics

2003 The Vintage

The year 2003 was marked by an occurrence of late frost throughout the Willamette Valley affecting different vineyards to different degrees. Fortunately, LaVelle Vineyards, with its higher elevation and well-drained slope, was largely unaffected. In turn, there was a period of very warm weather in mid-summer, which rocketed many varietal grapes through veraison (skin color change) and final maturation. Some varietals were ready for harvest up to two weeks before their average time, a side benefit of this being the avoidance of the cooler and wetter weather early November can bring.

2003 Estate Bottled Riesling

With the mild weather of the 2003 fall season, our grapes were picked “at the peak of perfection,” as the statistics of abundant sugars and balanced acidity indicate. The fruit was whole-cluster pressed, settled for 24 hours, and racked into stainless steel tanks for fermentation and vinification. Upon completion of fermentation, the wine received a gentle fining and cold stabilization through the months of February, March and April 2004. After a medium and then fine filtration, the wine was bottled on April 19, 2004.

LaVelle Vineyards is proud of its record of having produced consistently fine, delicious, and popular Riesling through the years. The vineyard site, combined with the winemakers’ expertise, provide a happy combination for this varietal. This wine is delicious as an aperitif, or makes a delightful companion to fruits, light fare and desserts.

back to The Wines