Ponzi Vineyards
2011 Arneis, Willamette Valley
Fact Sheet
This very rare and special Italian varietal is traditionally planted in the northern Piedmonte region of Italy. During one of the many trips to visit the Currado family of Vietti Winery, the Ponzi family was surprised by the wine’s delightful flavors and lovely balance. Continuing their dedication to innovation in the vineyard and cellar, they returned to their winery and immediately planted cuttings of Arneis in 1991. Ponzi Vineyards is one of very few U.S. producers of this varietal and the only producer in Oregon.
Vineyard Profile
The 2011 Arneis is produced exclusively from Ponzi’s Aurora Vineyards which is LIVE Certified Sustainable.
This wine meets requirements for the Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine program for responsible agriculture and winemaking practices certified by an independent third party.
Vintage Report
The season started quite late and wet with budbreak finally revealing itself in early May. A heavier than normal crop was thinned down to handle the late season, but even into the last part of August there was not significant heat to convince us that everything would get ripe enough. We thinned again at veraison (color change) and headed into September with cool, wet weather. As we were about to lose all hope towards the beginning of October, the sun decided to shine! A beautiful Indian summer saved this “Miracle Vintage,” and though we were picking into the middle of November, the fruit was ripe and sound. This vintage will be remembered as the latest on record to date. It resembles in structure, fruit intensity and color, the beautiful 1999 vintage.
Vinification
Grapes were whole-cluster pressed and juice settled for 24 hours. The must was fermented at very low temperatures in stainless steel with a portion in neutral oak. This wine completed 20 percent of its malolactic fermentation, and was lightly filtered before bottling.
