Tunkalilla Vineyard

Tunkalilla Vineyard is a tiny specialist Riesling vineyard perched on the southern facing end escarpment of the Eola Hills in the Willamette Valley overlooking Salem, the capital of Oregon. In 2005, Brian and Ann Croser planted 3 acres of Riesling on the then 50-acre Christmas tree farm that has since been cleared for further plantings of Riesling and Pinot Noir. The first releases of Tunkalilla Vineyard Eola Hills Riesling are both off-dry styles from the cool 2008 vintage and the warmer 2009 vintage.

Eola Hills - Willamette Valley, Oregon - United States

To maintain the working lifetime association with the west coast of America, in 2002 Ann and Brian also purchased the 50-acre Christmas tree farm in the southern end of the Eola Hills that was eventually to become Tunkalilla Vineyard.

Tunkalilla Vineyard

In a reverse of the 1976 Petaluma naming decision, Brian and Ann chose to name their Oregon vineyard Tunkalilla Vineyard after the beach adjacent to the farms on the Southern Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia where they grow prime lamb (Maylands Farm lamb) and Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir.

Tunkalilla has the local aboriginal Kaurna dialect meaning of “place of many smells” due to the whale carcasses that used to wash up on the beach's 7 kilometre sandy shore. Fortunately that is a rare occurrence today.

Tunkalilla Vineyard is on the western boundary of Cristom winery's distinguished Pinot Noir vineyard sites and a strong relationship between the Croser family and the Gerrie family of Cristom has developed allowing Brian and Ann to make their initial Tunkalilla Vineyard Rieslings at the Cristom winery.

Wines available from Tunkalilla Vineyard

Riesling 2008

Production: 250 cases made.
Harvest Date: 19-10-2008
Harvest Heat Summation (daily): 2124ºFdays, (average-2493ºF days)
Wine Analysis: Alcohol 13.14%, Acid 9.6gpl, pH 3.00, Sugar 8.6gpl.
2008 Tunakalilla Vineyard Riesling is the first crop from this special Riesling terroir. From a much cooler than average vintage the aroma is fresh and delicately floral with a hint of citrus. The natural acid is high and the residual sugar relatively low so the taste is flinty and dry but with significant fruit sweetness to balance.

Riesling 2009

Production: 380 cases made.
Harvest Date: 11-10-2009
Harvest Heat Summation (daily): 2406ºF days, (average-2493ºF days)
Wine Analysis: Alcohol 12.9%, Acid 9gpl, pH 2.96, Sugar 11.5gpl.
2009 Tunkalilla Vineyard Riesling is from a vintage just cooler than average and significantly warmer and earlier than 2008. The heat summation for 2009 was 2406º F days versus the average of 2493ºF days. The warmer vintage has introduced some peach and tropical aromas to go with the floral and citrus and the flavours are richer and less savoury than for the 2008. A trace more residual sugar complements the fruit sweetness and offsets the natural acid.