Producer Article
Sun Break Wines
Last edited on 5/9/2021 by phl103
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2018 was Sun Break’s first vintage and we produced 300 cases from the Cortell-Rose Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon. (600+ cases produced for the 2019 vintage.) The vineyard is across the road from Brooks Estate, co-owned by Jessica Cortell who manages Seven Springs, Antica Terra, Medici, the new Failla vineyard and many other top tier sites (her vineyard management company is Vitis Terra). The C-R vineyard is organically farmed (but not certified).
Sun Break Wines focus (mostly) on one vineyard so that we can obtain a variety of clones and also to allow us to vinify using three distinct styles. Colette is 100% destemmed (2018, 94 points (WE). Ariane is 100% whole cluster (2018 92 points (WE). Marie-Paule is 50/50 (2018 93 points/Editor’s Choice (WE). All are reasonably priced at $32 SRP. All are produced with no sulfites added, but cross-flow filtered to ensure stability and aging potential without spoilage. The wines are aged in older and neutral barrels.
The 2018 vintage has among the driest in Willamette Valley history resulting in intense flavors and color and higher ABVs, but the vineyard’s terroir retained great natural acidity for balance (pH <3.4). The 2019 vintage is a fresher and more elegant style given the cooler climatic conditions for that year. Colette is released after 10 months in neutral barrels; Marie-Paule and Ariane are aged 16 months in neutral barrels. We also also released a 2020 white Pinot Noir and 2020 rose’ of Pinot Noir in March, 2021.
2018 was Sun Break’s first vintage and we produced 300 cases from the Cortell-Rose Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon. (600+ cases produced for the 2019 vintage.) The vineyard is across the road from Brooks Estate, co-owned by Jessica Cortell who manages Seven Springs, Antica Terra, Medici, the new Failla vineyard and many other top tier sites (her vineyard management company is Vitis Terra). The C-R vineyard is organically farmed (but not certified).
Sun Break Wines focus (mostly) on one vineyard so that we can obtain a variety of clones and also to allow us to vinify using three distinct styles. Colette is 100% destemmed (2018, 94 points (WE). Ariane is 100% whole cluster (2018 92 points (WE). Marie-Paule is 50/50 (2018 93 points/Editor’s Choice (WE). All are reasonably priced at $32 SRP. All are produced with no sulfites added, but cross-flow filtered to ensure stability and aging potential without spoilage. The wines are aged in older and neutral barrels.
The 2018 vintage has among the driest in Willamette Valley history resulting in intense flavors and color and higher ABVs, but the vineyard’s terroir retained great natural acidity for balance (pH <3.4). The 2019 vintage is a fresher and more elegant style given the cooler climatic conditions for that year. Colette is released after 10 months in neutral barrels; Marie-Paule and Ariane are aged 16 months in neutral barrels. We also also released a 2020 white Pinot Noir and 2020 rose’ of Pinot Noir in March, 2021.