2024 Joy
Estate Seyval Blanc Brut ∞ Chehalem Mountains AVA
37 cases produced. | $48
Joy is named for Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, “Ode to Joy.” Grown in Bells Up’s vineyard, this hybrid wine grape is found mainly in the Midwest – our former home – and East Coast. It is also grown in England, where it is frequently produced as a sparkling wine. Joy is made the same way as our still Seyval Blanc, Helios – fermented to dry, then receiving an extended sur lie treatment to build body and character. To produce Joy, the wine is then lightly dosaged and carbonated.
The Vineyard
We are proud to have the Willamette Valley’s first and only planting of Seyval Blanc (and just the second in Oregon), a hybrid varietal with which winemaker Dave Specter had much success as an amateur in Cincinnati. It grows in a 0.75-acre block on the west side of our vineyard at approximately 500 feet elevation. The first of these vines were planted in spring 2015 with subsequent expansions in fall 2020 and fall 2021.
The Weather
After several years of extreme weather, the 2024 growing season brought a welcome return to normalcy for the Willamette Valley. A bitterly cold winter gave way to milder spring temperatures and a normal mid-April budbreak in the Bells Up Estate vineyard. Summer was again warmer and dryer than average, but without the extreme heat events of 2021 and 2023. That prompted a “by the book” end of September harvest for the Northern Willamette Valley, with brix and acids very close to ideal — giving the 2024 vintage compelling potential.
NOSE: TBD
PALATE: TBD
