Southwest Oregon's Umpqua Valley is renowned for a wide selection of premium varietal wines. Few of the area's wineries, however, have received the critical acclaim of Henry Estate Winery, whose Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Müller-Thurgau, and Pinot Gris have earned numerous “best buys” and consistently high ratings from Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast . Striving for quality in all facets of growing and production, Henry Estate holds its Pinot Noir back from market up to two years longer than most wineries to ensure a proper balance and character, which Henry Estate is known for. Full production is 18,000 cases, 75% of which is handcrafted from Henry Estate grown grapes.
VINTAGES
2005-Cool and Long Season
The 2005 vintage was one of the coolest and longest that we've had in many years. The winter was unusually warm and dry, followed by a cool and wetter than normal spring. In looking at past history, bud break, bloom, veraison and harvest occurred at about average dates. Fruit at harvest had excellent color and flavor. Harvest was over on October 25th with the picking of riesling, which had been left on the vines as long as possible to produce a late harvest-style wine. The 2005 vintage should produce wines of above average quality.
2004-Rain during Bloom in June
An interesting year to raise grapes in the Umpqua Valley; a comment we seem to make each year. This was an early year throughout the growing season. Bud break was 10 days early, verasion was 6 days early, and the beginning of harvest was two weeks early. The only hiccup was rain during bloom in early June, which reduced the crop load on the plants by about 40%. However, low crop loads result in an increase in flavor components for the grapes and hence, the wine; a redeeming grace.
2003-High Wine Quality Growing Season
This growing season was another destined for high wine quality. Bud break was right on schedule on April 10th, and the beginning of bloom was slightly early on June 7th. Most of our vineyard is over 30 years old. This maturity adds to grape flavor complexity. Warm weather followed bloom with very little rain until the beginning of harvest on September 24th, about two weeks early. Our experience is that early harvests produce excellent wines. The fruit at harvest was near perfect with very good color and excellent juice flavor. The Scott Henry Trellis System we use allows sunlight to filter onto the grape clusters which enhances flavor and complexity. Regular harvest was over on October 17th. Riesling fruit was left on the vines for a late harvest style wine and were picked on October 31st. This should be a very good vintage.
2002-Unique Opportunity with Ice Wine
The early part of the 2002 growing season was about average with bud break and the beginning of bloom right on target. The latter part was dry and warm, resulting in verasion about five days early and harvest about 10 days early. Therefore, grape maturity was excellent for all of our grape varieties. This should result in full bodied, flavorful wines. A very unique event occurred on October 31st, November 1st and November 2nd. Early morning temperatures dropped to 17 o F and we were ready. We harvested white riesling grapes frozen on the vine for the production of ice wine. This is the first time in 30 years of growing grapes that we had the opportunity to produce wine. 2002 had a very exciting conclusion to an excellent vintage year.
2001-Started Late, Ended Early
2001 was another interesting growing year in the vineyard. We started a week late with bud break, but finished a week early for harvest. The reason for this was the low amount of rainfall during the growing season. The good thing about this is that grapes were harvested with a significant amount of dehydration. This resulted in less juice per ton of grapes, which concentrates flavors and skin contact. As a result, 2001 should produce another great vintage year – our fourth in a row.
2000-Location by the Umpqua River Helps Save Grapes from Frost
Henry Estate Winery had just experienced two very high quality harvests in 1998 and 1999. As in '98 and '99, bud break was about a week late. Some growers lost a lot of fruit during this period (early April) to frost. However, our vineyard site by the Umpqua River gave us adequate frost protection. A perfect growing season for temperature and rainfall advanced grape maturity so that we were able to start harvest about one week early (October 5th for pinot noir). Warm days and cool nights produced fruit with great flavors. 2000 vintage wines are superb.
1999-Very Late Grape Maturity; Indian Summer Helped It Along
After growing grapes for 28 years, one would think that there would be a similarity between 1999 and another vintage. Not true! Each year seems to have its own peculiar aspects and 1999 was no exception. Bud break in the spring was about 10 days late, which is not unusual. However, instead of catching up throughout the growing season, the ripening kept getting delayed. As we approached harvest, the maturity of the grapes was a solid two weeks behind normal. This was an unpredictable and nerve-wracking time since we had to wait until mid-October to start harvest. Mother Nature came through with flying colors. An Indian summer prevailed with warm, dry days and cool nights well into November. The result was fruit with good maturity and some of the best flavors in the juice that the vineyard can remember.
1998-Scott Henry Trellis System Really Shines
The success in growing high-quality fruit in a year like 1998 was due largely to the use of the Scott Henry Trellis System. We experienced late bud break occurring on April 19th, which is about one week late. This was followed by very wet late spring weather which showed early strikes of botrytis in some varietals. The Scott Henry Trellis System gave us the advantage of an open canopy to allow the fruit to dry out very quickly, minimizing the botrytis. Rainy weather persisted during bloom which was about five days late. Again, the open canopy Scott Henry Trellis System allowed good fruit set even during this rainy period. By August, the ripening of the fruit was about on its normal schedule due to warm weather. We started harvest in late September which is typical for the vineyard. Fruit delivered to the winery was in excellent condition and the quality of the wines was approaching that of the 1994 vintage.
1997-New Challenges
Although we have been raising grapes for 25 years, each year seems to be unique in offering new challenges. 1997 was no exception. Bud break was about nine days early, occurring on April 1st. Frost was avoided and spring growing conditions were close to normal. The start of bloom on May 28th resulted in some excitement since this was about two weeks early and could lead to excellent prospects for late harvest wines. This potential for early harvest was verified on July 28th when our red grapes began to turn color. Our bubble of optimism was burst in mid-September when we received about three inches of rain. The battle was to preserve the quality of the grapes and continue the ripening process until maturity was achieved. Our unique Scott Henry Trellis System came through for us again, and we began receiving excellent mature pinot noir fruit on September 23rd.
1996-Typical Harvest Year
The season was close to typical for our region; bud break on April 10th; start of harvest on October 1st; and harvest finished on October 31st. The only areas of concern were a late spring frost on May 7th and significant rainfall during the last of the harvest. Henry Estate Vineyards escaped frost damage because of protection from the nearby Umpqua River. In addition, the rains during harvest were largely negated by the Scott Henry Trellis System. This trellis system allowed the fruit to dry rapidly and effectively prevented fungus and bunch rot growth. Fruit delivered to the winery was in excellent condition and resulted in wonderful wines.
1995-Early Bud Break-Harvest Completed
1995 was another interesting year for the Henry Estate Vineyard. Balmy weather in early February led to bud break on March 31st (as opposed to the April 10th norm). We had to really hustle to get all our pruning done by March 15th. Fear of a possible spring frost was unwarranted, but a wet spring delayed growth slightly. The summer growing season was interrupted with periods of light rain which required a constant vigil against mildew and bunch rot. Our vigil paid off and the fruit was in top condition for harvest which started on October 2nd for pinot noir. Some periods of rain occurred during October but our grapes maintained their excellent condition because of our unique Scott Henry Trellis System that exposes the clusters to the air and sun. The last grapes were picked on November 7th to make a late harvest Gewurztraminer.
1994-Growing Season Close to Ideal; Low Yield
This growing season was close to ideal for wine quality. Bud break was right on schedule on April 8th, and the beginning of bloom was slightly early on June 3rd. Rainy weather during bloom resulted in some small berries in the clusters, lowering crop levels. Warm weather followed with very little rain until the beginning of harvest on September 24th (about two weeks early). Our experience suggests that early harvests produce excellent wines – in 1994 the fruit was near perfect with very good color and excellent juice flavor. As more flavor and complexity can be extracted from the skins, the small-berry clusters improve wine quality. Regular harvest was over on October 16th. Some gewürztraminer and riesling fruit was left on the vines until October 24th for a late harvest wine. 1994 proved to be one of our best vintages.
1993-Indian Summer Relieves Race to Finish Ripening and Harvesting Before Fall Rain
The winter of 1992-1993 was mild with very little freezing weather. This led to bud break on April 10th (about normal for the vineyard site). Cool, rainy weather during the spring resulted in bloom on June 14th and veraison on August 16th (about five days behind the norm). Late veraison dates are always of concern since they reliably predict late harvest dates. Sure enough, harvest did not start until October 10th (about one week late) and the race was on to finish ripening and harvesting before the advent of fall rain. Mother Nature blessed us with a reprieve – an Indian summer held back the rains, provided warm days and cool nights – perfect conditions for enhancing fruit flavors in grapes. The final two weeks of harvest were very suspenseful. The last grapes were picked on November 8th in excellent condition.
1992-Earliest and Warmest Growing Season on Records; Outstanding Wines
In our 20 years of experience growing grapes at Henry Estate, 1992 was the earliest on record. Bud break in March was two weeks early. By bloom time in May, the grapes were three weeks ahead of schedule. At this time, the Winery began to shift gears to ready for a very early harvest. Harvest started on September 4th, almost four weeks early. Weather was perfect throughout the harvest and the condition of the grapes was close to perfect as well. Sugar levels were higher and acid levels lower than normal, as can be expected in a warm year. We were excited about 1992 fruit because the last warm, early year (1987) resulted in outstanding wines from all varieties.
1991-Delayed Bud Break; Hot August; Perfect Harvest Conditions
A long, hard winter freeze was followed by a cooler and wetter than normal spring. This delayed bud break about a week to April 15th. Again, cool and wet weather pushed bloom back to June 25th (about two weeks later than usual). A hot August and very warm and dry September got us back on track and harvest started on September 28th for gewürztraminer and October 9th for pinot noir (four to five days late). Perfect harvest conditions continued for three weeks with the first light rains of autumn coming on the 24th. This challenged us to bring in all the fruit before the fall rains. The fruit arrived in beautiful condition with average sugars and acids.
1990-An Outstanding Vintage!
Bud break came on April 4th (about one week earlier than usual) with bloom following on June 6th (also about one week early). Rain during the first part of bloom slowed things down a bit and caused poor fruit set in pinot noir. Crush began on schedule in early October with great harvesting conditions. Afternoons were sunny and dry with day temperatures between 70°-75°F and night temperatures around 40°F. Fruit condition was excellent with small berries and no bunch rot. Sugars, acids and pHs were all within a good range. Most of the fruit had already been harvested by the end of October when some periodic, light rains began. 1990 was an outstanding vintage.
1989-Damage from Arctic Air Mass, Yet Quality Yield
The vintage of 1989 was marked clearly on January 30th when an Arctic air mass settled over the Pacific Northwest sending the temperature to a low of -6°F in the Umpqua Valley. Cold weather persisted for about three weeks causing damage in both the trunks and canes in the vineyard. At harvest, this resulted in a low yield for all varieties. Bud break was a few days early, which persisted with harvest starting about four days early in October. Overall quality of the grapes was high and therefore, expectations for the wines were also high. Harvest was completed November 11th with the picking of riesling grapes to produce a select cluster, dessert wine.
1988-Close to Normal; July Rains
This growing season was much closer to normal compared to 1987. Bud break was four to six days early (April 6th) and the vines were seven to eight days ahead of schedule at bloom. However, rain in July and cooler than normal August temperatures, slowed things down to bring about an average picking date starting in October. Fruit set was good with full clusters and normal-sized berries. There was no rain during harvest (some light mist during the day by the end of October), which allowed the fruit from all varieties to reach the winery in beautiful condition, with normal sugars and normal to slightly higher acids.
1987-Earliest Harvest to Date; Great Diversity
Early bud break and bloom was followed by a very hot and dry summer. This continued with virtually no precipitation until mid-November, producing the earliest harvest on record at Henry Estate. The fruit arrived in beautiful condition with generally high sugars and low acids (very ripe) and the berries displayed strong flavors. A great diversity of batches or lots occurred due to the length of the harvest.
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