evesham grive
25 Mar

Farmstead New World Pinot Noir Club – April Allocations

 

 

 evesham grive

Evesham Wood Pinot Noir (Organic, Minimal Intervention)
A Bottle of Each
Le Puits Sec
Le Grive Bleue

 
Winemaking in Oregon is relatively new, only dating back to the 1960s. However, their Pinots in particular have boomed in popularity recently, and it’s easy to see why: Oregon has a similar latitude and climate as Burgundy. No wonder some of the early vineyard sites were established by producers from France who recognized its potential! 
 
Some early pioneers of the area are Russ and Mary Raney. With their “small is beautiful” attitude, they established Evesham Wood in 1986 with an emphasis on quality. This estate winery relies on two basic principles: obtaining optimally ripe low-yield fruit from the best possible sites and using minimal intervention in the winemaking process. 
 
After a search throughout the Willamette Valley, they chose a site for the estate vineyard, “Le Puits Sec” (French for “the dry well,” appropriately named since one is located in the vineyard). There they planted eight acres, three of Pinot Noir, two each of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, and one of Gewurztraminer. Since then, over four acres have gradually been added as well as small plantings of the German variety, Rieslaner and the Austrian variety, Gruener Veltliner. 
 
Russ and Mary are charter members of DRC (Deep Roots Coalition), a group of local growers/producers which advocates the use of natural methods in the vineyard and cellar, especially the harvesting of grapes exclusively from non-irrigated vineyards. Dry farming does actually force the vine’s roots to grow deeper into the soil. It also helps to conserve water and preserve water tables while producing a more terroir-driven wine. 
After twenty-plus years, the Raneys began working closely with Erin Nuccio, the owner of Haden Fig. Not only did the founders see an opportunity to retire early, but also someone who would continue the Evesham Wood legacy and make wine using the same philosophies. In August 2010, Erin and his wife, Jordan, became the owners of Evesham Wood Winery & Le Puits Sec Vineyard.

Continue reading

images
19 Feb

Farmstead New World Pinot Noir Club – March Allocations

images

Choose One: 
Roar Sierra Mar Pinot Noir and Rosellas SLH Pinot Noir  (Sustainable)

Driving on the 101 south of the San Francisco Bay is Monterey County, home to the farmlands of the Salinas Valley, the “lettuce capital of the world.” In the wake of Napa’s success, Monterey was extensively planted with vines. A foggy gap in the mountains, which runs perpendicular to the coast (west to east), allows warm air at the southwestern end of the valley to pull in the cool ocean air downstream. The mere 18 mile stretch of the Santa Lucia Highlands is one of the smallest major Pinot Noir regions in the world.

Continue reading

kist
30 Jan

Farmstead New World Pinot Club – February Allocation

Kistler Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, 2018 (Sustainable)

kist

Kistler Vineyards is a small family-owned winery located in the Russian River Valley specializing in Burgundian style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Since its first vintage in 1979, the winery has grown in size to produce 25,000 cases per year. Steve Kistler and Mark Bixler share the winemaking responsibilities, while Mark also acts as chemist and business manager. The winery, completed in 1992, is located on their Vine Hill Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. Kistler’s fruit is sourced from various vineyards across Napa and Sonoma counties.

Kistler Pinot Noir is fermented in small open top fermenters and the free run juice is barrel aged and remains in barrel for fourteen to eighteen months until bottling.

Continue reading