Winemaker Notes
Lone Star Vineyard is lower elevation in close proximity to the Van Duzer Corridor in the Eola-Amity Hills with ideal conditions for Riesling to thrive. Argyle is the only US winery to grow Riesling on devigorated rootstocks. This is the type of viticultural investment that most US wineries would only consider for higher priced wines like Pinot Noir.
Food Pairing Notes
Argyle’s most recent exploration toward a dry style with racy acidity, Spirithouse Riesling is 100% Argyle grown from cutting edge German Clones. Spirithouse Riesling is among Argyle’s most age worthy wines and can age 15-20 years or more.
Vineyard Notes
The 2019 growing season began with a cold and wet winter followed by wet and warm spring, leading to a late April bud break. A few frost scares in April gave way to a warmer than average spring. The early June bloom was dry and sunny, with a touch of rain affecting the later ripening Spirit Hill Vineyard in the cool, windy Eola-Amity Hills. Some late June and early July precipitation created a small amount of disease pressure, while the rest of the summer was quite moderate, with fewer heat spikes than we've seen the last number of summers. September brought with it a significant cool down and a series of scattered rain showers, making harvest much more old-school Oregon, dancing with the whims of Mother Nature. A more classically spread out harvest, we started with Pinot Noir in the Dundee Hills on September 4th and finished with Pinot Noir in the upper elevations of the Eola-Amity Hills at Spirit Hill Vineyard on October 16th.
