LongSword Vineyard Releases New Pinot Noir Wine

March 2, 2012 - PRLog -- RUCH, OREGON - JANUARY 26, 2012 - LongSword Vineyards, a member of the Applegate Valley Wine Trail in pristine Applegate, Oregon, has released its first vintage of their select, 2-barrel Pinot noir called Phrase. Despite the stereotype that such a delicate grape cannot be successfully grown in this region, LongSword’s Phrase is a hand-picked testament to Southern Oregon’s ability to grow an outstanding Pinot noir.

At only 2 barrel’s worth harvested in 2009, the release of LongSword’s first Pinot noir after two years in the barrel was a welcome treat to expectant taste buds. Members of LongSword’s wine club had been demanding the unique treat, while visitors along the Applegate Valley Wine Trail were joining LongSword’s wine club just to get a taste. Small-lot, exclusive wines from LongSword include varieties like a Syrah and a Dolcetto, which are just a few more reasons to join the LongSword wine club, or better yet, come visit the Applegate Valley Wine Trail. With only a handful of cases left of the 2009 vintage of Phrase, new wine club members are encouraged to sign up, especially in anticipation of the releases of the 2010 and 2011 vintages.

Hand-picked by the winemaker and his family and then aged in French oak barrels, the Pinot
noir grapes used to make Phrase have a retained natural acidity due to the vast day-to-night temperature ranges found in LongSword’s unique nook of the Applegate Valley. This natural flavor, combined with the meticulous quality control of a small harvest of hand-selected Pinot noir grapes, makes for a wine stained with the earthy nuances of the Southern Oregon terroir.

Phrase is a rich Pinot noir named in honor of the winemaker’s niece, Kate. An extremely accomplished singer, thespian, and arts administrator, Kate came to the Applegate Valley in 2009 to help her uncle Matt, LongSword’s winemaker. Though Matt was juggling a busy schedule that year coordinating projects around the vineyard, Kate was there to help keep him organized. She assisted with the process of growing and harvesting the Pinot noir grapes and allowed Matt the time he needed to do what he does best: focus on the wine. Matt recalls how with these grapes, Phrase was “tasting good as soon as it was fermented.”

In Kate’s honor, Matt says he named the 2009 vintage Phrase in order to denote Kate’s personality: her complexity and love for theatre and music are reflected in “the various ways a phrase can be turned.” The wine itself goes down like a poem, with an indicative violet nose, the essence of blackberries or dark cherries beneath, and the warmly aromatic and smooth finish one comes to expect from a fine Pinot noir. Pair it nicely with a robust meal of grass-fed Oregon beef with organic veggies and your senses will have you returning to experience the flavors of Southern Oregon time and time again.

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LongSword is a 10-acre vineyard located in a sunny basin of the Applegate Valley along Highway 238 and is part of the Applegate Valley Wine Trail. It is known predominantly for producing Chardonnays and other “fruit-forward” wines, as opposed to the standard list of reds. Coupled together in business with neighboring Fly High Vineyard, LongSword is privileged to be in the precise spot where paragliders from the Applegate’s annual Starthistle Fly-In land near the vines in summertime, only to walk a few feet for a drink in the tasting room. Family-owned by the Largaespada family since 1999, LongSword’s vines are abundant and 30 years mature. The vineyard produces only about 100 cases of their select Pinot noir per year, so wine connoisseurs are encouraged to join LongSword’s wine club for an exclusive taste. For more information, visit: http://www.longswordvineyard.com/.