About the
Laurène Cuvée: Named after Véronique Drouhin’s elder
daughter, Laurène is our flagship wine, and is produced entirely
from Pinot Noir grown on the family’s estate in the Dundee Hills.
All of the fruit is handpicked into small totes, destemmed,
fermented with indigenous yeasts, and then placed into barrels
(French oak, never more than 20% new). Once the vintage is
safely in the cellar, Véronique begins the process of selecting
barrels which have an extra complexity, length and depth — barrels
which will work together as Laurène.
In recent years, Laurène has been named one of the “Great Wines of
America” by Paul Lukacs in his book of the same name and
“perennially one of Oregon’s best wines” by Portland Monthly
Magazine (Sept. 2009). In 2008, celebrated writer Matt Kramer
presented Laurène in his Wine Spectator seminar, “21st Century
Pinot Noir Greatness.”
The 2008 Vintage: 2008 was simply an incredible vintage in
Oregon. Though we could have wished for higher yields given the
incredible quality, we are grateful for what we have. Overall, it
was a long, relatively cool growing season, which allowed for full
ripeness, strong acidity and lower alcohols. These are wines that
will live a long time.
Harvested: October 10th - 21st
Bottled: March 2010
Released: October 2011
Production: 5,900 six-packs. 150 magnums. 50
jeroboams.
Véronique’s Tasting
Notes: The 2008 Laurène has a very long ageing curve ahead
of it. Deep and complex, with excellent weight, firm
structure, and real intensity, the 08 Laurène needs a lot of air in
the glass, or time in your cellar. You can enjoy it now, but
I recommend at least 30 minutes in the decanter to reveal the
layers of smoke, earth, orange peel and white pepper. After even
more time, a mix of red and black fruits come forward: black
cherry, cassis, rhubarb and currant. The dark fruits, black
cherries and spices reminds of the 2005 Laurène, as do the
aromatics and richness. The finish is very long, all of which
points to a very long life. Santé! —Véronique Drouhin-Boss,
September 2011
93 points,
International Wine Cellar
92 points,
Burghound
92 points,
The Wine Advocate
